Staple crop processing zones will contribute N1.4 trillion to economy

The planned establishment of Staple Crop Processing Zones (SCPZ) in the country, will add N660 billion to N1.4 trillion to the Nigerian economy and create 250,000 jobs, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development,

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The minister said this in Abuja yesterday while briefing the media ahead of the launch of the SCPZ programme.

SCPZ is a vast zone where there is commercial production of food that would attract the private sector to set up food processing plant to process food into finished items and other products.

“The successful implementation the SCPZs is estimated to add N660 billion to N1.4 trillion to the Nigerian economy and estimated to create 250,000 jobs. Alape SCPZ in Kogi will focus on the production of starch and sweeteners; it is expected to produce 62,000 tonnes of starch, 5,000 tonnes of sweeteners, 720,000 tonnes of cassava root and create income impact of about 90 million dollars to the economy of Kogi,” the minister said.

The minister said that the establishment of the crop processing zones, 14 in all, was aimed at reducing post-harvest losses by setting up crop processing industries in the rural areas.

He said the crop processing zones would help to process the raw foods produced by farmers into finished foods and other economic products that would benefit the area.

The 14 SCPZ will cover a number of crops including rice, sorghum, cassava, fish processing, horticulture and livestock; this will reverse the rural-urban migration.

The minister stressed the need to industrialize agriculture in the country, saying it was high time Nigeria stopped being an import-dependent country.

The minister, who noted that the government was determined to grow wealth through agriculture by ensuring value addition to local produce, to generate employment opportunities for the populace, said: “If it is not produced in Nigeria, processed in Nigeria, eaten in Nigeria, it is not good enough. Nigeria can no longer be an import-dependent country; we must unlock the potential of our agriculture by ensuring that we process what we produce. We must ensure we do not export only raw materials, we must revive our rural economy by ensuring that agriculture becomes industrialized.”

He said Nigeria was in partnership with the UN Industrial Development Organisation which is providing assistance in the development of the master plan of the SCPZs.

The minister confirmed that six master plans for the zones in Kogi, Kano, Lagos, Anambra, Enugu and Niger states had been finalised.