A 20,000-hectare rice plantation will soon come up in the Yewa North and Imeko-Afon Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Ogun, Gov. Dapo Abiodun has said.
Abiodun disclosed this during the inauguration of the first phase of the 21-kilometre Iboro-Imasayi-Ayetoro road in the Yewa North LGA of the state on Wednesday.
He said the plantation would be the largest rice farm in Nigeria.
“The farm will also have the largest rice processing factory to make the state the rice capital of Nigeria,” the governor said.
He added that local and foreign investors had signified interest in partnering with the state on the project.
“I have called the Olu of Ilaro, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle, that he should challenge all our traditional rulers in this area. We are looking for about 20,000 hectares of land.
“We want to turn this part of Yewa into the rice capital of Nigeria. We already have the investors who have the resources to turn this place into a rice development and rice processing centre.
“I am deeply committed to that, as it will be one of the legacies of this administration.
“Help us look for the land within the next two weeks and see the wonders that we will perform,” Abiodun said.
The governor said the state government would not put any money into the project, but would be providing the enabling environment for investors to work.
He stressed the importance of infrastructure, particularly good road network, to the development of the agriculture sector.
While inaugurating the 14-kilometre second phase of the road construction, Abiodun assured that the project would be completed in due time.
“So, today, we are here to inaugurate the first phase, which is a seven-kilometre stretch beginning from Imasayi-Iboro to Igan Okoto.
”At the same time, we are starting the construction of the second phase leading to Ayetoro,” he said.