Rivers State Governor, Mr. Siminalayi Fubara, has promised that the state government would provide the necessary financial support to enable the 45,000 metric tonnes capacity Rivers Cassava Processing Factory at Afam, Oyigbo Local Government Area expand its production lines.The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Nelson Chukwudi, said the governor made the promise after he paid a visit to the factory site.
Chukwudi said the company had written to the governor requesting for financial support to assist it complete two more production lines to improve capacity utilisation.In response to the letter, the governor visited the site to assess the efficiency of production and feasibility for expansion, the chief press secretary said. After taking a facility tour of the factory, Governor Fubara said, “From what I have seen here today, it is really impressive.
I can assure them that we are going to give the financial support to ensure that the production lines are all completed. This is to encourage them to go into full supply of the products with international standards to anywhere in the world.”Rivers Cassava Processing Company is a public-private partnership (PPP) venture between the Rivers State Government, Shell, Vieux Manioc BV of the Netherlands, and the Netherlands Embassy.
The factory was inaugurated in 2021. Owing to lack of further financial support from the state government, activities at the factory were stalemated until the Managing Director sent a distress call to Governor Fubara.Chukwudi said, “The motivation for establishing this processing factory was to address the challenges of value addition of the cassava crop in the value chain sub-sector. So, the factory was inaugurated on May 28, 2021, as a company that will support the economy of Rivers State to earn more revenue from the cassava value chain.
” He said the financial support promised the firm by the governor would enable the firm increase its capacity and update their products to international standards.Chukwudi said the factory would also promote adoption and the use of 10 per cent high quality cassava flour (HQCF) in bread and confectionery businesses, so as to reduce wheat importation and conserve foreign exchange earnings to meet other needs. He said, “Indeed, cassava is one of the defining ingredients of our family lives in this region, and it is a valued crop in Niger Delta and in other parts of Nigeria.
So, this factory, with the promised support from the Governor Fubara-led administration, will attain full operational status. This will further be propelled by feedstock from about 3,000 farmers within the farming communities and other far away farmers in neighbouring communities.
”The government was convinced that the step being taken will rub off on other stakeholders in the value chain, which will also be a positive development for the state. He said, “What the people need to understand is that, as long as this factory’s capacity is not fully strengthened, it will be difficult for it to receive uninterrupted supply of raw materials from the thousands of hectares that could be cultivated to service it.
“By extension, this means massive waste of hundreds of jobs its prospect assures, particularly the over 20,000 farm families that will earn income to enhance their livelihoods and improve their standard of living.
