Nasarawa Seeks FG, World Bank’s Partnership on Joint Power Grill Supply

Olawale Ajimotokan and Folalumi Alaran in Abuja
The Governor of Nasarawa state, Abdullahi Sule, has declared that the state intends to adopt the mini-grill supply system that will ease the state’s chronic electricity challenges via collaboration with the federal government and the World Bank.

He disclosed this when he paid a courtesy visit to Olam Farm in Rukubi, Doma Local Government Area with an installed production capacity of 120,000 metric tonnes per day.
The governor stated that the power supply system will be implemented in all six communities in the local government area councils, starting with the Rukubi community.
He said that the system will not only improve the standard of living of residents of the community but will also enhance business operations in the area.

He urged the workers to continue to promote the rice out growers’ policy thereby fulfilling the current administration’s mandate of food security.
In another engagement, Sule also commissioned a school funded by Olam Farm in Rukubi.

The Vice-President Olam Rice Farm, Mr. Anil Nair, listed some of the challenges affecting the sustainable growth of the company.
He listed transportation as the major challenge and called on the state government to look inward and develop new measures to urgently improve the road linking Doma to Akpanaja.
“This visit could not have come at a better time than now considering the on-going expansion works in our milling facilities which is expected to process about 240,000 MT of rice paddy per annum as against the present capacity of 120,000MT making it the largest Rice Mill in Nigeria.

“The on-going expansion is expected to contribute 90,000MT of milled rice to domestic market. The farm on the other hand, which started as a model rice farm in 2011 transformed to a commercial operation in 2012 with a present size of over 4,400 hectares with a yield of 9MT per hectare over two annual crop cycles (wet and dry season cropping), “Nair said.

He lamented that in spite of the mill’s commitment to a strong and sustainable long-term relationship with her host communities and other critical stakeholders, its sustainable growth is being hampered by the poor state of the Doma to Akpanaja, which was included in 2021 budget.
He noted that the construction/rehabilitation of this road will have direct impact on the sustainable growth of the company business in the state.