From: Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin City
Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, has allocated 20,000 hectares of land to Guinness Nigeria Plc for immediate take-off of mass production of cassava and processing in this farming season in the state.
The royal father made this known, on Tuesday, when the chairman of Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr. Babatunde Savage, led the management team on a working visit to his palace in Benin-City, the Edo State capital.
According to Oba Ewuare II, when established, many unemployed youths would be taken off the streets as well as creating better markets for all cassava farmers across the state.
He stressed that his vision was to revive agriculture to ensure adequate food supply and raw materials for industries, noting that he will join forces with the state government to create enabling environment for investors in the sector.
The monarch who was delighted over the progress recorded by Guinness Nigeria in its effort to complement palace’s efforts in agro businesses, promised to give them the necessary support for smooth take off of the project this farming season.
Earlier Mr. Savage said that they were at the palace to brief him on the successes recorded and some of the challenges being faced in its bid to kick-start mass production of cassava and processing in state.
He said the million dollars mass cassava production farming would be used for various purposes.
” The over twenty million dollars proposed mass cassava production farming would also be processed to produce flower, starch, sugar and ethanol for industrial uses”, he said.