Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture Prince Gbolahan Lawal has said the government-owned Integrated Rice Mill at Imota, a Lagos suburb, will be completed in seven months.
Lawal, who spoke yesterday during a facility tour of the mill in order to assess the progress of work being done, expressed satisfaction about the progress of work so far.
He said the mill, upon completion, will not only ensure that people eat nutritious rice, but will also create jobs and wealth for the people, as well as enhance the supply value chain.
The commissioner, accompanied by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Agriculture Dr. Olayiwole Onasanya and top officials of the ministry, noted that the 32 metric tons capacity mill is the biggest in Nigeria and indeed West Africa.
He recalled that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu during the campaign promised to continue with any project left by his predecessor, saying the governor’s visit to the mill as soon as he assumed office was a demonstration and commitment of the government to the completion of the project.
Lawal said although the 32 metric tons mill should cater for the rice needs of a substantial percentage of Lagosians, it is a far cry from the rice needs of the people, “especially since the rice consumption rate of an average person in this part of the world hovers between 32 and 40 kilogrammes, which explains why the government is collaborating with the Southwest and northern states as well as the Rice Farmers Association (REFAN) for the supply of rice paddy.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, had stressed the need for the state to follow the examples of countries like China, Thailand and Vietnam in generating a lot of revenue from rice production, in addition to ensuring food security for the state in particular and Nigeria in general.
The rice mill at Imota is a 22-hectare facility, with the mill taking about 8.5 hectares and consisting of a complete set of new mills, two warehouses, 16 silos with a storage capacity of 40 metric tons each, water treatment plant, effluent processing plant, staff quarters, administrative block, car park and firefighting facility, among others.