Delta’s Agro-Industrial Park: Option for resolving food deficit, youth unemployment

With the return of democratic government in 1999, agriculture and the agro-allied sub-sector seemed to have been
undermined, as the political elite had payed lip-service to it in the last 18 years.

The worrisome aspect is the nonchalant attitude of the three tiers of government toward agriculture. In the real sense, the lack-luster approach to national agriculture management remains the bane of the nation’s
industrial development.

Interestingly, the nation is blessed with arable land from the North to the South and East to West, but the resource is grossly underutilised.

According to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), Nigeria has no basis for the annual progression in number of unemployed youths and recorded food deficit if adequate commitment and resources are deployed to the agriculture sub-sector.

The FAO believes that the nation’s current food deficit followed the dismal national agricultural policy, poor appreciation of the national agricultural potential and lack of commitment by the political elite to agriculture and agribusiness.

It says that irrespective of the huge petrol dollars earned so far since 1970s, agriculture remains Nigeria’s cash cow.

However, the Delta State Government recently took the bull by the hornto prepare its people for a life beyond crude oil and the attendant polemics.

The consensus policy document of the State’s Executive Council released on November 12, 2017, showed that the Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa-led government has concluded plans to position his administration toward sustainable mass
mobilisation of the people back to the land.

The strategic agricultural and agribusiness road map as contained in the Delta States Executive Council policy document provides for the establishment of common industrial infrastructure to leapfrog into mass youth employment, while leveraging on new agricultural businesses.

The Commissioner for Information, Mr. Patrick Ukah, describes the policy as a quiet agricultural revolution aimed at harnessing the rich agriculture potential of the state and the vast knowledge of Deltans in wholesome agriculture and agribusiness.

“Our agriculture policy directive is moderated more by the developed world’s aggressive climate induced engineering targeting the complete elimination of fossil fuel by 2025; and more importantly; mobilising
Deltans into mechanised agriculture and agribusiness-driven industries,’’ he says.

Ukah explains that the government’s commitment to give the policy a human face followed the state Executive Council’s recent approval of N7.04 billion (about 22.7 million dollars) for the establishment of an
Agro-Industrial Park at Aboh in Ogwashi-Uku, Aniocha South Local Government Area.

Specifically, the government expects the agro-industrial park to play an important role in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, job creation, foreign exchange earnings, and Small and Medium-size Enterprises (SME) development over the coming years.

The overall the focus of the agro-industrial park development strategy is to bring about the accelerated structural transformation of the state’s economy through graduated industrialisation, leveraging the share of the industrial sector of GDP and the GDP share of the agriculture-based manufacturing sub-sector.

In value terms, the development of agro-industries parks in Delta will create the catalyst and opportunity to accelerate economic development and achieve its industrialisation goals.

The government’s agro-industrial park initiative remains a potent vehicle for the structural transformation of the state’s economy.

The initiative is expected to help to pave the way for the realisation of Nigeria’s Vision 2020 of becoming a leading manufacturing hub in Africa.

The agro-industrial park will also promote economic diversification and growth of the state, including creating more than 5,000 jobs along the agricultural value chain.

It will provide a common dedicated infrastructure and facilities for agro-processing, value addition and agribusiness as a means to improving the ease-of-doing business.

According to the Ukah, the park will be executed through Public-Private Partnership involving the Delta State Government, Israel-based Mirai Group and Norsworthy Investments Ltd.

Under the policy, part of the money will be deployed to the construction of Ayakoromo Bridge across River Forcados in Burutu Local Government Area.

The Ayakoromo Bridge, Ukah says, will link the riverine and upland communities in the state toward sustainable economic and social integration.

He adds that with the construction of the bridge, Burutu Town, which hitherto had not been accessible by road, will become a beehive of social and economic activities with vehicular movements.

According to him, government’s focus on roads also is to facilitate the easy movement of raw materials to the agro-industrial park and various markets nationwide.

The topography of the state, the commissioner notes, provides the impetus for the executive council to appreciate the complimentary importance of roads in agriculture and agribusiness.

“Our mission with the new agro-industrial policy is to turn the state into a mechanised agrarian community.

“We hope that with the agricultural leadership provided by the state, the organised private sector will in a few years take over the initiative and drive of the state’s agricultural revolution,’’ Ukah says.

Ganiyu Obaaro, with Agency report