By LAWANI MIKAIRU

The Governor of Plateau State , Simon Lalong has made provision in this year’s budget to expand and develop the perishable cargo terminal at the Jos airport in other to facilitate the evacuation and distribution of farm produce and livestock from the state. The perishable cargo terminal has been lying fallow at the airport. Governor Lalong  disclosed this when he spoke with Aviation reporters at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.  said that quick evacuation of farm produce would help the farmers make maximum profits from their crops and also ensure that they are sold out.

According to him , “Over the years farmers in different parts of the country have suffered poor evacuation of their produce by road, losing substantial parts of their harvest to delays and precarious movement by road to ready markets in populated cities in the country.” Lalong  further said agriculture remains one of his cardinal programmes of  his administration and that it is the mandate of his government was that farmers are assisted to boost their produce by facilitating the process of their produce reaching market, hence the plan to build perishable cargo terminal at the Jos airport, which was already designated as International Cargo Airport.

Lalong said “The Jos airport is already designated as international cargo airport. It is only that it has not been used for a very long time. So when we came in we went to the place and we have it in the budget to expand the place and provide the necessary facilities so that we can use the airport properly as cargo airport. Secondly we now focus on agriculture as you mentioned. A lot of farm produce comes through Jos, from Maiduguri and other parts of the neighbouring states.

“Jos is a transit to about five states, so all of them will pass through the airport. Because of that we need collaboration with the federal government so we will quickly do the expansion and take advantage of the international cargo airport that we have.”