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- State flags off wet season rice farming
From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Work for the construction of a 10,000 barrels per day capacity modular refinery at the Abia Industrial and Innovative Park (AIIP), located at Owaza in the Ukwa West Local Government Area of the State will commence fully in the month of May.
This is even as the State Government would soon flag-off the Wet Season Rice Farming Programme through its In-Growers Scheme in the state.
These were disclosed by the state Commisioner for Information, Chief Okey Kanu while briefing journalists in Umuahia, the state capital.
Kanu said commencement of work on the modular refinery was part of the holistic progress being made by the
Abia State Government in the AIIP project.
“The State government is making steady progress on the AIIP project and to this effect the payment of compensation to all affected landowners has been completed.
“Construction for the modular refinery will commence fully during the second quarter of the year and that’s, as we enter the month of May.
“This of course is as a result of the approval granted to HSI- by the Federal Government to build and operate the 10,000 barrels per day capacity modular refinery at that AIIP site.”
Kanu announced that the Osisioma depot was now operational, adding that the state government has engaged the NNPC Port Harcourt refinery and NNPC Retails Management to ensure that Abia state gets sufficient and regular allocation of petroleum products.
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Meanwhile, the State Government said it would soon flag-off the Wet Season Rice Farming Programme through its In-Growers Scheme in the state.
Kanu who made this known in Umuahia said it was a strategic move to boost the food Security agenda of the state government.
“Under this initiative, the Ministry will be aggregating farmers cooperatives across different crop value chains and will commence with rice in a target of 8,500 hectares of land at different communities in the rice belts of the state. This is mainly in Abia North zone of the state.
“For this flag off, there are over 400 genuine and authenticated rice farmers at Ndi-Okereke Abam, farming on over 500 hectares of land that have been verified.
“There is also cultivation of rice on an additional 150 hectares of land at Owerinta.”
Kanu assured that the move would be replicated at other state-owned rice farmlands at Bende, Mkpa, Ofeme, Ozuitem, Ndi Okereke and Ndi-Oji Abam.
He noted that the beneficiaries of the Abia State and CSS Farms strategic agro- collaboration program are progressing well with their chosen projects, adding that over 90 percent success rate has been recorded by the beneficiaries.
The Commissioner informed that the deadline on the invitation for expression of interest on the state’s recovered plantations has been extended to May 15, to give more investors the opportunity to participate in the exercise.
