JOSAN is a PPP scheme between the Government of Anambra State (10%) and Joseph Agro Industries (90%), formed in 2014.
The task and mission of the company was to boost both paddy rice and milled rice production, both in Anambra State and in Nigeria.
Josan started a pilot scheme in Ufuma, basically, resuscitating a former world bank farm. Josan cleared the overgrown thick bushes with its own fleet of earthmovers, excavated new irrigation canals (water by gravity irrigation) and invested in putting in two mid sized rice mills in the Ufuma project. The entire investment was made by Joseph Agro Industries.
JOSAN empowered thousands of farmers with inputs, money, training and provision of land, irrigation/water and offtake guarantees.
Then, JOSAN was handed over the former largest rice mill in Sub Saharan Africa, the former Omor rice mill. This mill was dilapidated and sabotaged, also, had not worked since years.
Alas, began the resuscitation of the former largest rice mill in Sub Saharan Africa. The entire investment again was done by Joseph Agro Industries.
Via strategic technological innovation and investments, the mill was successfully resuscitated and brought back to life.
This mill now became JOSAN Giant Mill, Umumbo, after a border readjustment. The parboiling unit was repaired, the bio mass plant was brought back to life, the rice mill was fixed, the power and utility facilities were all fixed and best quality rice started to stream out of this mill, helping make Nigeria self sufficient in rice.
In addition, JOSAN started to work with tens of thousands of farmers in that catchment area, helping them with inputs, training and guaranteed offtake.
A massive irrigation scheme in that catchment area is also being worked on, which will increase the number of harvests for farmers, with guaranteed offtake by Josan, thus, economically empowering thousands of farmers.
JOSAN is a successful testimony of a strategic working relationship between a private sector company, Joseph Agro Industries, a State Government of Nigeria, Anambra State and tens of thousands of Nigerian farmers.
