The Lagos State government has disclosed that the 32-metric-tons-per-hour Imota Rice Mill is expected to commence operations before the end of this year, adding that it has so far spent close to N20 billion out of the N25 billion initially estimated for the mill.
Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture Abisola Olusanya made this known while addressing journalists at the government house in Alausa as part of a ministerial briefing to mark the second anniversary of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration.
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Olusanya hailed the mill as world class and the first of its kind in the country, explaining that in preparation for its completion, and to boost the farming activities of rice farmers in the state, the state government had trained and empowered 800 rice farmers with high yielding Farrow 44 seeds, knapsack sprayers and other farm inputs as part of a strategic intervention.
“Being the third largest of its kind in the world, we want to deliver value and we also want to make sure we have the best processing facilities such as to be able to meet the demands of our people,” she explained.
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“When you move across the states like Kebbi, Kano which also have state of the art mills and when you come to Imota Rice Mill you will see that Imota rice is a world class on its own.
“What has been spent so far from inception till date is N20 billion, what was estimated was N25 billion but looking at the exchange rate which is almost N500 per dollar now obviously the cost of putting up that mill will be reviewed upward,” Olusanya noted.
Speaking further, she said the mill, which has the capacity to produce about 2.4 million 50-kilogram bags of rice, will create approximately 267,580 jobs and ensure a sustainable supply of wholesome rice at an affordable price to Lagosians and Nigerians as a whole.
