The Dangote Group has expressed optimism that with its ongoing agricultural projects across the country, Nigeria is on its way of being self-sufficient in the area of food production.
The group reiterated its determination to support the Federal Government in its effort to revolutionise the agriculture sector and make Nigeria self-dependent in the area of food production.
The group, which is reputed to be the single largest private sector employer of labour in Nigeria is currently investing in fertilizer, rice, tomato paste and sugar production, among others. The group is also building a 650,000bpd petroleum refinery, which will be the single largest in the world.
Only last year, the group signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to invest $1billion for the establishment of fully integrated rice production and processing operations across the country.
The statement said the MoU and the planned investment were in response to government’s reforms of the Agriculture Transforming Agenda (ATA) launched in 2011.
The statement said the group had acquired farmlands in Edo, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kwara and Niger states totaling 150,000 hectares to be used for commercial production of rice paddy.
The company will also establish two modern large-scale mills each with capacity to mill 120,000 metric tonnes of rice paddy, while doubling the capacity within two years.
The statement said this would become the single largest investment in rice production in Africa.
The rice plant is estimated to produce 960,000 metric tonnes, representing 46 per cent of total rice imported into Nigeria.
Group President Aliko Dangote had said during the signing of the MoU that Nigeria, “is capable of producing rice that can feed the whole of West African sub region.”
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