Plateau govt, FMARD, others partner ABG Paulas to host 1st IPVC conference

By Chinyere Anyanwu 

The Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, has appointed the Deputy Governor of Plateau State, Sonni Gwanle Tyoden, to oversee the hosting of the 1st International Potato Value Chain & Root Crops Expo & Conference scheduled to hold in Jos, Plateau State, from September 14-16, 2021. Lalong, who affirmed that the event is in line with the objectives of the agriculture policy of the state, spoke when the ABG Paulas team led by the MD/CEO, Ambrose Okojie, paid him a courtesy call to officially decorate the governor and his deputy as chief ambassadors of the expo at the Government House in Rayfield, Jos.

Mr. Ambrose Okojie, Germany-based Nigerian said, “the event is scheduled to open up investment opportunities, create jobs for stakeholders and facilitate increased production as well as food and nutrition security.” The event, according to Okojie, will witness the participation of Grimme and Pottinger, Germany and Austria-based companies respectively and others to promote all varieties of potato and root crops production, processing, preservation, packaging and promotion in Plateau State and Nigeria in general towards meeting global best standards and quality.

Similarly, the Nigeria Incentive-based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) has declared support to partner ABG Paulas Resources Limited to deliver the international conference on potato value chain and other root crops. Potato is the third most consumed food crop globally, coming after rice and wheat, consumed by a billion people worldwide. The expo would be the first international potato value chain expo in Nigeria, which is the 4th largest producer of potato in the sub-Saharan Africa and the 7th largest producer in Africa.

The Minister of Agriculture, Alhaji Sabo Nanono, in a letter dated April 30, 2021, validated the conference and exhibition, describing it as an event that would “open up investment opportunities, create jobs for stakeholders and facilitate increased production as well as food and nutrition security.” The minister is scheduled to deliver a keynote address at the event, which would be attended by a wide spectrum of stakeholders in the root crops value chain.