By Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu
A PDP Chieftain and aspirant

As oil prices continue to fall and financial allocation from the federation account shrinks, Edo State has no option but to devise means of sustaining and developing the State. Borrowing while permissible if for economic or tangible projects that would strengthen or improve the financial base of the State can become an albatross if for fancy or invisible programmes. The real route to economic stability lies in wealth discovery and creation. This road demands an inward assessment of assets, potentials and even opportunities. Agriculture and solid minerals are lucrative areas the state should focus on and engage in its task of repositioning the economic fortunes. The Uromi Cassavita factory conceived in 2002 by former governor Chief Lucky Igbinedion as parts of efforts to industrialise the State readily comes to mind. The factory is an agro processing factory with a capacity of 60,000 tonnes of fresh cassava tubers per year to be processed into the following industrial products (a) Cassavita chips--12, 000 tonnes per annum (b) Cassavita starch—3,000 tonnes per annum (c) Cassavita flour—3,000 tonnes per annum and (d) Re-processed waste –18,000 tonnes per annum.

The entire factory complex occupies about 10,000 square meters (equivalent of 8-10 football fields) and houses the following independent structures; a main factory complex (30m X 60m) a finished product storage warehouse (5m X 10m) a waste processing complex (6m X 15m) an administrative block with a canteen, a clinic, a steam generation/electricity building with 2 tons/hr steam boiler and 2 sets of electricity generators (500kva and 300kva) respectively, to compliment the electricity provided by the 11 KV electricity supply from a 1000Kva transformer substation, 4km away. The siting of the different facilities within the complex is linked by well paved roads with horticultural/landscaped premises. There is also a water borehole with large overhead and ground storage tanks. And the complex is enclosed by an extensive wall fence of 1.2Km in length and a gate house. Uromi-Agbor road serves as the access.

These physical infrastructure and facilities have been fully completed. The equipment and machinery were supplied by the year 2004 and were installed and tested in 2006. The equipment were bought brand new from reputable Equipment manufacturing companies with proven technology in cassava processing. The starch processing equipment like Rasper, centrifuges, vacuum, filter, flash drivers etc were supplied by EBS of Brazil while the oven, drier, milling plant for flour and chips production were supplied by Gautheir agro-products of France. Other utilities like steam boiler and weighbridge were supplied from UK. The plant as designed and with the equipment and machinery presently installed and tested are adequate for the economic and viable processing of cassava tubers into such finished products as starch, flour and chips. The chips and flours plant is grouped and installed into four main sections. (a) Preparation of cassava tubes (b) production of chips (c) drying (d) production of flours. A starch plant is grouped and installed into four main sections (a preparation of cassava tubes (b) starch milk extraction (C) Starch concentration and drying (d) starch packaging.

I have deliberately done this detailed narration of the facilities to debunk the perception fueled by political malice that the factory was a white elephant project that was designed to fail. Opportunity exists for the adoption of the factory for the processing of other roots and tubers such as yam, plantain etc which in due course can be developed as the market potentials dictate.
If the recent drive to make it mandatory for flour mills to utilise 10 – 40% flour as substitute for wheat is actualized, a substantial market for this cassava product will evolve and the Uromi plant if operational would be strategically positioned to exploit the market. Nigeria can no longer afford to spend N635 billion annually on importation of wheat flour. Estimation from government suggests that about N16 billion worth of cassava flour would be needed this year alone to produce the estimated N550 million (950g) loaves of bread valued at about N117 billion currently produced annually in the country. Group Managing Director Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC, Mr. Paul Gbedudu stated recently that a draft policy which is designed to actively promote the inclusion of locally cultivated cassava and sorghum in bread flour is one which his company welcomes and support because of the positive impact it will have on the economy of Nigeria by way of huge savings in foreign exchange, wealth creation for farmers, direct farm jobs for nearly 500,000 persons and an income generation of about N24 billion going to farmers.
If fully operational, the factory will employ over 150 persons directly and over 3000 persons will be involved indirectly in the cultivation of cassava tubers, supply of other raw materials for the factory and distribution of the finished products. With an envisaged annual requirement of 60,000 tonnes of cassava tubers, this will translate into the cultivation of 3,000 hectares of farm land at an average farm yield of 20 tonnes per hectare. Such requirements given the renewed focus on agriculture will create farming opportunities within 25km radius of the project location and give a boost to agriculture in Esan land. The project will turn Uromi community from a market centre to an agro based industrial hub given the central location of the town in the State. It should be noted that in years past, similar projects such as the Bendel Feed and Flour Mills at Ewu and Okpella Cement Company, Okpella were the nucleus of the overall economic and social development of the host community and the Uromi Cassavita Factory if well managed will follow similar path.

Funding for local farmers will not be difficult. For example, Grow Africa, an international NGO founded jointly by the Africa Union (AU), the New Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD) and the World Economic Forum in 2011 focuses on helping small holders and domestic companies succeed commercially. The NGO works to increase Private sector investment in Agriculture and accelerate the execution and impact of the investment commitments. The aim is to enable countries to realise the potential of the agricultural sector for economic growth and job creation particularly among farmers, women and youth. It brokers collaboration between governments, international and domestic agricultural companies and small farm holders in order to lower the risk and cost of investing in agriculture and improve the speed of return to all stakeholders. The NGO has supported the implementation of US $1.5 billion of investment into Africa’s agriculture from companies that have committed over US $10 billion investment through letters of intent to invest. They are supported by grants from the following donors (a) United States Aids for Internal Development (USAID) (b) Swiss Agency for Development and cooperation (SDC)
This NGO can be approached to support our agricultural initiatives by way of grants. Under the cassava bread fund programme of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, all the cassava growers’ Associations in Edo state got a minimum of N150, 000 with a grant of about N84, 000 from the former administration. I had appealed to the Comrade Governor to visit this factory in his first term in office so that he could appreciate government’s investment in the place, the level of completion and the economic potential of the project, but he appeared to have been too preoccupied with other issues. It is unfortunate that other government officials have also not seen the need to visit the place to ascertain its viability. I am aware however that the state government through the state Public Private Partnership (PPP) office had in August 2012 called for an expression of interest for part acquisition of the factory under a PPP joint venture agreement as well as a similar request by the Technical Committee on privatization and commercialisation (TCPC) in January 2014 which have not yielded any result because of the lackluster manner the process was handled and sadly the factory remains idle and non-operational. With the factory remaining dormant since the completion of test operation, in 2006/2007 there is need to re-examine options for the resuscitation of the factory and its sustained operations to take advantage of the agricultural agenda of the Federal government which has a strong focus on cassava production and processing. Government should not allow such an investment go to waste but must quickly commence a technical evaluation of the plant, get it resuscitated and operational. #TheFutureIsNow.