By Peter Egwuatu

Delta State government has stated that lack luster approach to national agricultural management remains the bane of our lack of industrial development, adding that the nation’s blessed arable land from the North to South and East to West is grossly underutilized.

Consequently, the Delta State government has taken the bull by the horn to prepare its citizens a life beyond crude oil.

The strategic agricultural and agribusiness road map as contained in the Delta States Executive Council policy document provides for the establishment of common industrial infrastructure to leap frog into mass youth employment, while leveraging on new agricultural businesses.

In a statement made available to Vanguard, M. Patrick Ukah, Delta State Commissioner for Information described the policy as a quiet agricultural revolution aim primarily at harnessing the rich agricultural potential of the state and the vast knowledge of Deltans in wholesome agriculture and agribusiness.

“Our agricultural policy directive is moderated more by the developed world aggressive climate induced engineering targeting the complete elimination of fossil fuel  by 2025 and more importantly mobilizing  Deltans into mechanized agriculture and agribusiness driven industries,” Ukah  said.

Ukah explained that government commitment in giving the policy a human face followed the executive council recent approval of N7.04bn (about 22.7 million dollars) for the establishment of an Agro-Industrial Park at Aboh Ogwashi-Uku in Aniocha South Local Government Area.

Specifically, the Delta State government expects the agro-industrial park to play an important role in GDP growth, job creation, foreign exchange earnings, and small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) development over the coming years.

Overall the focus of the agro-industrial park development strategy is to bring about the accelerated structural transformation of the state’s economy through graduated industrialization, leveraging the share of the industrial sector of GDP and the GDP share of the agricultural based manufacturing sub-sector.

In value terms, the development of agro-industries parks in Delta State creates the stimulants and opportunity to accelerate economic development and achieve its industrialization goals. Primarily the government’s state executive council agro-industrial park initiative remains a potent vehicle for the structural transformation of the Delta State economy The initiative is also expected to help pave the way for the realization of Nigeria’s Vision 2020 of becoming a leading manufacturing hub in Africa.

The agro-industrial park will also promote economic diversification and growth of the state, including creating more than 5,000 jobs along the agricultural value chain. It will also provide common dedicated infrastructure and facilities for agro-processing, value addition and agribusiness as a means to improving the ease-of-doing business.

According to the commissioner, the park will be executed through Public-Private Partnership involing the Delta State government, the Israel based Mirai Group and Norsworthy Investments Ltd. Under the policy, part of the money will be deployed to the construction of Ayakoromo Bridge across River Forcados in Burutu Local Government Area.

The Ayakoromo Bridge, Ukah insisted will link the riverine and upland communities in the state toward sustainable economic and social integration. He said that with the construction of the bridge, Burutu Town, which hitherto had not been accessible by road, would become a beehive of social and economic activities with vehicular movements. .

According to him, government focus on roads also is to facilitate the easy movement of raw materials to the agro-industrial park and various markets nationwide. The topography of the state, the commissioner said provides the impetus for the executive council to appreciate the complimentary importance of roads in agriculture and agribusiness.