The Government of Cross River State has urged local and foreign investors to take full advantage of its agro-industrialization drive.

Speaking to delegates from the Taiwan-African Business Association (TABA) on Thursday, Governor Benedict Ayade, said that the state has morphed from an importing hub to being a wealth creator.

“The only way we can jumpstart industrialization is to have an industrial path and we are currently leveraging opportunities to fill that void. Today in Cross River State, we have a noodles plant which depends mostly on rice, because wheat has been found to have high levels of gluten. We also have a feed mill, the first vitaminized rice mill in Africa, the first seedling factory in Africa and a cocoa processing plant that produces end to end, cocoa beans and chocolate bars, also the very first in Africa”, he said.

In light of the aforementioned, he implored the Taiwanese contingent to establish a viable platform for mutual trade between both parties, saying “Taiwan is a major exporter and we have the market in Nigeria. You need our market and we need your technology”.

Also speaking at the 2019 Africa Industrialization Day (AID) organized by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, in Calabar, Governor Ayade reiterated the state’s commitment to strategically partnering the private sector on industrialization-inclined investment projects.

“Cross River State has a factory that will be producing 24,000 frozen chickens per day. As such, we need large quantities of maize and soya beans for feed production. This will translate to more jobs and improved market linkages”.

On his part, Chairman of the Taiwan-African Business Association and Leader of the Delegation, Jeff Sun underscored the openness of the Taiwanese investors to mutually beneficial partnerships, particularly with Cross River State.

Also speaking with AgroNigeria during a tour of the agro-industrial park in Calabar, Jean Bankole, Regional Director of UNIDO in Africa, lauded the state’s industrial revolution, particularly the Governor’s drive of ensuring Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global market.

In his words, “If Africa wants to move ahead on economic diversification, it has to follow the path shown by Cross River today”.

SOURCE: AGRONIGERIA