Leading Nigerian Agro Firm Joseph Agro Industries Limited (JAI) has signed a backward Integration Memorandum of Understanding with the Anambra State Government to invest an initial $150 million (N25billion) in the rehabilitation and expansion of the state’s Omor Rice Mill.
The government of Anambra State, in South-eastern Nigeria, has sought to expand the economic returns of its very rich but largely untapped agricultural resources, making development of the sector one of its cardinal points with the aim of providing job opportunities for over 10,000 indigenes by using the out growers scheme.
JAI said it is to produce 167,000 metric tonnes of rice paddies using 2 cropping seasons while another 15,000 hectares is under negotiation, for development into highly irrigated rice paddy fields
The Executive Director of JAI, Ken Irhiogbe, said in a statement that China Machinery Equipment Corporation (CMEC), a leading global EPC provider, has been appointed technical partners to support in up-scaling the mill’s current capacity of 18,000 metric tonnes to an initial 100,000 metric tonnes, development of 14000 hectares of land into irrigated paddy fields and construction of a green energy bio mass power plant in Omor using rice husk as feedstock.
JAI also said it will, as part of its long-term strategic objective to ensure sustainability through technology transfer, collaborate with the Confucius Institute, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka to produce Chinese speaking Nigerian students to understudy best rice technology practice.