Governor Martin Elechi of Ebonyi State on Friday said that rice produced in the state had moved into markets in Europe and the United States.
Elechi said that the rice was being produced from “Satake Mills” established by the state government at the cost of N1.29 billion.
He made the disclosure when he spoke at Ebonyi Day at the ongoing 24th Enugu International Trade Fair in Enugu.
He said that the rice was being sold in large quantities in London, Canada, Florida and other parts of Europe.
The governor described it as a “breakthrough, which has enhanced the glory of the state in rice production.”
Represented by Dr Ifeanyi Ike, Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Elechi said that the quality of the rice produced from the mills facilitated its acceptance in the global market.
He said that three mills were established under the ‘Satake’ mills, which the state government imported from Japan and cited in each of the three senatorial districts.
He said that the mills had a combined production capacity of 15 tonnes of milled and packaged rice per hour at full capacity.
Elechi said that the state government had distributed high-yielding varieties of rice, along with necessary agro-inputs to rice farmers in order to sustain the mills at full capacity.
He also said that the government had established a tractor-hiring centre, and announced, “Our government has opened all frontiers that will enable genuine investors to come to the state.”
The governor said that the Ebonyi International Market, which he described, as the longest high-rise building in the South-East had attained 98 per cent completion.
“We also constructed 34 ‘bridges of unity’ to link all local government areas to the state capital,” he added. (NAN)
