From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
The management of Benue Investment and Property Company Limited (BIPC) has disclosed that the company will commence orange and mango juice production in September 2025.
The Group Managing Director of BIPC, Dr. Raymond Asemakaha, stated this when he hosted a technical assessment visit by its key partner, SONO Group Limited, on a tour of its newly installed hybrid equipment at the industrial layout, Makurdi.
Speaking after the facility tour, Dr. Raymond Asemakaha disclosed that the concentrate factory will commence operations officially on July 1, 2025, while the main juice production line is scheduled to take off in September 2025.
The production, he said, is part of measures by the state government to curb the post-harvest losses encountered by orange and mango farmers in Benue State.
The GMD emphasised that the initiative aligns with the broader economic agenda of the current administration led by Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, which focuses on industrial revival, agricultural value addition, and sustainable job creation for the people of Benue.
“We are committed to leveraging the state’s abundant agricultural produce to stimulate industrial growth, reduce waste, and provide employment opportunities.
“This factory is a testament to our dedication to building a productive and self-reliant Benue. Producers of orange and mango will be supplying directly to the company from September at the industrial layout. I’m using this opportunity to call on orchard farmers to increase their production,” Asemakaha stated.
The assessment team, led by the Managing Director of SONO Group, Frank Runge, alongside the Company Secretary, Johnny Kritzinger, expressed satisfaction with the level of readiness and quality of machinery installed at the factories.
They pledged SONO’s continued technical support to ensure a seamless takeoff and sustainable operation of the facilities.
“We are pleased with what we’ve seen. The infrastructure is solid, and we believe that once operations begin, BIPC’s facilities will stand as a model for agro-processing in West Africa,” Runge said.
During the inspection, BIPC’s maintenance officer, Engineer Henry Boager, carried out a detailed walkthrough of the facility, showcasing the various components of the processing lines from the fruit intake stations, the extraction, filtration, concentration, pasteurisation, and packaging units.
Boager demonstrated the technical capacity of the equipment, which he said boasts a production output of 62,000 litres of processed juice and concentrate value per hour, and explained that the machines are designed to minimise waste, maximise yield, and operate at high efficiency.
“Every piece of equipment here has been selected to ensure we can process large volumes within tight timeframes. This is key to preventing fruit spoilage and enhancing profitability for our local farmers,” he said.