The Nasarawa State Governor, Abdulkahi Sule, has inaugurated steering and technical committees for the Framework for Responsible Investment in Land-Intensive Agriculture (FRILIA) to attract large-scale agricultural investments into the state.
Governor Sule inaugurated the two committees during a ceremony in the Government House, Lafia.
According to the governor, „with agriculture playing a pivotal role in the economic development of the state, full implementation of FRILIA would not only attract large-scale private agricultural investments, but also ensure shared benefits for both investors and host communities.
„The FRILIA will increase Nasarawa State’s attractiveness for private investment and minimize potential conflicts between communities and investors, as well as the herder/farmer conflict in the state.“
The governor assured that his administration will continue to support businesses in the agribusiness sector, especially since it provides much needed food and wealth for the people.
This was just as Governor Sule hinted that commercial agribusinesses in the country are now resorting to backward integration as a result of challenges of foreign exchange.
He said most of these commercial agribusinesses are seeking to expand their local businesses thereby creating more demands for fertile land.
The governor disclosed that another 60,000 tones per year rice mill would be established in the Akunza area, with the company already expressing interest to acquire land for the cultivation of rice in Assakio and Doma.
Sule, therefore, charged members of the committees and other relevant stakeholders to ensure the diligent implementation of the agricultural investments in the state in line with FRILIA principles.
In a vote of thanks, Chairman of the Steering Committee and Deputy Governor of the State, Dr. Emmanuel Akabe, thanked his principal for finding them worthy of appointments into the committees.
Akabe noted that for any nation to fight poverty and hunger, attention must be given to agriculture, hence pledging that they were going to work assiduously to ensure that the objectives of FRILIA were achieved.
Earlier, Chairman of the Technical Committee and Managing Director/CEO of Nasarawa State Investment Development Agency (NASIDA), Ibrahim Abdullahi, said the inauguration of the two committees was a critical step towards meeting the state‘s requirements for participation in SABER for 2024.