Buni woos Turkish investors to boost irrigation farming, meat processing for exports
By Njadvara Musa, Damaturu
Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe state, has wooed Turkish investors to develop irrigation farming and meat processing to boost industrial raw materials and exports for foreign exchange.
According to him, the harness of agricultural and livestock resources was to ensure food security, economic growth and development of the State.
The Director General, Press and Media Affairs to the Governor, Mamman Mohammed, disclosed on Friday in Damaturu, in a statement that; “The partnership was reached during an economic delegation led by Buni to Turkey.”
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He said the economic partnership was inevitable to explore and expand irrigation schemes to meet the State’s food requirements and foreign exchange earnings.
Buni, therefore, assured the management of AFKO Pivot Irrigation Systems of arable land, labour and water resources from the Kumadugu/Yobe River and Nguru wetlands.
Besides, he added that the State government will deploy human and capital resources to ensure irrigation farming is profitable and a means to job creation among youths.
Continuing; “Government would support individual farmers and cluster farming groups to cultivate food crops; including maize, rice, and wheat to revive the dormant Flour Mills in the country.
“We’ll also facilitate the production cash crops including Sesame seeds and groundnuts among others crops,” noting that they could earn more foreign exchange to farmers and herders.
The General Manager of AFKO, Abdulgani Affura, AFKO, assured Buni that the irrigation firm would provide all the required machinery and equipment for the development of irrigation schemes in the state.
“The firm will manufacture the required irrigation equipment that is adaptable to the Yobe state desert environment and climate change mitigations,” he said.
Similarly, the Buni economic delegation had discussions with other agricultural firms on meat processing, as the State has a population hub of over two million livestock, including cattle, goats, sheep and camels.
“We’re committed to the processing of both ruminants and cattle meat to providing a healthy and clean meat at the local and international levels,” he said.
The General Manager, Teknotes Tasarim, Ismail Bagdu, also said that the firm would build abattoirs with modern equipment and machinery for the packaging of meat for exports.
Melik Ceyhun, an international manager of CEMSAN, also expressed his commitment to partner with the State government in resuscitating the ailing economy.
He noted that the processing of livestock meat and other products will enable farmers to earn foreign exchange from the international market.
