Belarus to partner Benue to expand agric-value chain

Rose Ejembi, Makurdi

The Republic of Belarus has pledged to support Benue State in the area of expanding the state’s agriculture value chain programme.

Belarus Ambassador to Nigeria, Vyacheslav Bril, who made the promise when he met Governor Samuel Ortom in Abuja on Friday said his country had decided to collaborate with states such as Benue which have high potential in agriculture, in order to build relationships for greater development.

In a statement made available to our correspondent by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Samuel Ortom, Terver Akase, Bril disclosed that Belarus would soon establish an agricultural equipment-assembling plant in Nigeria to offer farmers in the country top- quality products.

Akase noted that the ambassador commended Governor Ortom for addressing issues of security and the attention he had given to agriculture in his state.

In his response, the governor who expressed the willingness of the state to collaborate with Belarus told Ambassador Bril that Benue has a deliberate policy to deepen mechanised farming and to realise the complete agriculture value chain from cultivation to processing of products.

“We are ready to partner Belarus. We focused on security in the first four years by providing the enabling laws and other measures to ensure the safety of lives and property in the state. This, we did as a deliberate step to create the right environment for business,” the governor stated.

Governor Ortom thanked Mr. Bril for the visit and promised to sustain ties with the government and people of Belarus.