BEVERLY HILLS, December 30, (THEWILL) – Lagos State Government says that its multi-billion naira rice mill project will be due for commissioning in the first quarter of 2021 (Q1 ’21).
Known as Imota Rice Mill, the state authorities say the facility has attained 85 per cent completion level.
This statement was made by Ms Abisola Olusanya, Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture while speaking during a recent webinar tagged: “Lagos State 2021 Budget Review Session.”
Olusanya revealed that when Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu took over as the Governor of Lagos State, the rice mill was at 10-15 per cent completion levels, however, the project currently stands at 85 per cent completion levels, and will be completed towards the end of the first quarter of 2021.
In a bid to emphasize the importance of the facility in Lagos State and why it is key in Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu economic development agenda, she revealed that the move to fast-track construction works at the mill was driven by the need to ensure food security in the state and across the nation, as rice is an important staple of the Nigerian diet.
She said the mill will help to strengthen the economic rigour of the nation and enhance economic resilience as the facility seeks to provide employment opportunities for Nigerians, through the creation of 250,000 jobs, not only in Lagos, but across Nigeria.
The Agric Commissioner added that the facility will help to create wealth across the agricultural value chain, from the input supply to the paddy aggregation process, storage and warehousing, processing, distribution and then final consumption.
Analysts at Nairametrics said on completion, in line with the estimated installed infrastructure of the facility, the production capacity of the rice mill in Imota will set it among the largest in the world, and the largest in sub-Saharan Africa with 2.5 million bags of 50kg rice annually.
Additionally, the mills, when operational, will ensure a steady supply of freshly processed rice of about 2.4 million bags of 50kg per annum to Lagos residents, in addition to over 250,000 jobs to be created in both the upstream and downstream sectors of the rice value chain.
THEWILL learnt that, to facilitate a seamless supply of input for the facility, Lagos will undertake a backward integration strategy in the form of collaboration with other states such as Kwara, Sokoto, Benue, Borno and Kebbi to meet the paddy requirement of the Imota mill.
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