A window on the agro industrial town model

The thrive in the agriculture sector in the last three years has received a lot of acolyte both locally and internationally even though most Nigerians still believe that the journey to the promised land is still miles away. But the introduction of the staple Crop Processing Zones (SCPZ) in the six geopolitical zones and the recently introduced Agro Industrial Town (AIT) project in the Agri Business Investment Region (ABIR) has further showed some level of seriousness on the part of the government. JOHN OBA in this piece writes on how the AIT model could consolidate the development of agriculture in Nigeria.

 

At the beginning of the year, the federal government, through the ministry of agriculture, flagged off the establishment of Staple Crop Processing Zones in the six geopolitical zones. The idea focuses on attracting private sector agribusinesses to set up processing plants in zones of high food production, to process commodities into food products. This would be enabled by government by putting in place appropriate fiscal, investment and infrastructure policies for Staple Crops Processing Zones.
The government will enable this by putting in place appropriate fiscal, investment and infrastructure policies for staple crop processing zones.
As good as this idea may be, experts believe that it would not achieved much if the farmers that would be feeding the manufacturers with crops are not strategically empowered and positioned to be able to meet up the demand of the company’s investment in the project.

But with the introduction of the Agro Industrial Town (AIT) project in the Agri Business Investment Region (ABIR), many have expressed satisfaction that Nigeria agriculture will soon be the corner stone of the economic.
The AIT initiative is a rural development concept aimed at driving economic growth in rural areas through settlement of leading young farmers within a defined area under comprehensive development.
According to the executive director, LR group, the company saddled with the responsibility of developing the model, MrZvi Herman, a defined areas for development within the agri-business investment region (ABIR) and specifically in close proximity to the Staple Crop Processing Zone (SCPZ), a delimited area, within major clusters of agricultural production land that will be dedicated to driving the facilitation of innovation and appropriate agricultural production and processing capacity for locally produced staple foods, including crops, livestocks and fisheries.

During the technical presentation of development report of the project, Herman, said the AIT in Kogi state which is the pilot project if completed will generate  about 25,000 direct, indirect and induced employment opportunities for youth in the state with N1.2 million annual expected income.
He said the aim of the project is to enhance sustainable integrated economic agriculture and rural chain development while creating general employment opportunity in the rural Nigeria with special emphasis on innovative young farmers engaged in modern agriculture. It is also to enhance high value agro production, ensure food security and substitute food imports while realizing the human and economic potentials and opportunities of ABIR and SCPZ, YEAP programmes. Increase economic and operational integration between family farm homesteads, agro enterprises and the SCPZ, ABIR,AIT development activities.

He also revealed that the 15,000 hectare land is comprising of clusters of agricultural production land and rural complex of 10 family villages based on 120 families per each village, including facilities at the village level such as shops and infant schooling which would have house-stead of 2,500 square meter and would require a total of 1,954,940 metric tons of water annually if the place is fully integrated.
Speaking on the concept, Herman states that the project will be an integrated Agro Rural Development Concept, based on driving economic growth and improved rural livelihood with inter-linkages with the federal and state development agenda. He added that the AIT will function as a combine municipal community ad agro support services and training centre.
“The AIT success will be built on mutual relationships with multiple sectors complementary functions of each sector will drive the development and growth of the whole scheme.

Giving the breakdown of the indicative income pattern and expected expenses for the Kogi state model, he revealed that annually, crops and calf fattening is expected to general a total annual operating income of about N1,285,499, crops and heifer will generate N1,257,666, crops and broiler production will be N1,218,465 while crops and layer and egg production will be N1,247,225. He also gave the cost summary of integrated project from the agro-industrial Town (AIT), Agro villages and the general infrastructure and commercial centre as $389.7 million.
“The AIT inception phase will include the following components which are: AIT Municipal and community centre, AIT-Agro- support services and training centre (ASTC), AIT – First Agricultural village cluster and AIT Related Central Infrastructures.

“Implementation and management of this project is envisaged as a flexible process in order to integrate its various components,” he said.
With 19 of these type spread across the six geopolitical zones in the country, the impact of Nigeria Agricultural revolution will definitely be felt across the continent.
But experts believe that as laudable and innovative as the project may look, it albatross, would be the lack of political will, poor supervision, corruption, lapses in project management and implementation, involvement of underqualified hands, poor disbursement of project fund, lack of continuity in government policies, the usual government’s bureaucracy and government zero allocation of fund in the budget.
The project if properly handled with the seriousness it deserve, it could solve the problem of unemployment, increase the potential of family farming and make the country an economy hub in Africa.