Governor Okezie Ikpeazu stated this at Government House Umuahia while addressing a delegation of Management of the CBN led by the Umuahia branch Controller, Mr Ogbu Michael.
The Governor while disclosing plans by his administration to establish an oil palm refinery where over four million Tenera oil palms will be processed for consumption,said plans are also underway to set up a cassava processing plant,ultra modern rice mill as well as a poultry cluster in Nsulu and Item respectively.
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He noted that his administration is clearly focused on what to do in terms of Agriculture but constrained in terms of land space,adding that the state is working towards becoming the value addition hub for the South East and South South zones which accounts for why he conceptualized the Agro city at Ubani Ibeku.
Governor Ikpeazu while commending the enthusiasm of the CBN in the areas of oil palm and poultry said the state ministry of Agriculture will do the needful in terms of providing land for the oil palm belt initiative.
He however regretted that the state is yet to benefit much from the numerous agricultural initiatives of the CBN and expressed optimism that the oil palm belt initiative will open new vistas of opportunities for the state to benefit from CBN programmes aimed at making the country more economic viable through agriculture.
Earlier, the Umuahia Branch Controller of the CBN,Mr Ogbu Michael said that the aim of their viisit is on the proposed palm oil belt initiative of the CBN which the state government pleged to make available one thousand hectares of Land for its take off in the state.
While noting that the project has the potential to create ten thousand direct jobs to the youths and one hundred thousand jobs when fully realized,Ogbu urged the state government to key into the financial inclusion strategy of the apex Bank which he said had aims at giving atleast eighty percent Nigerian adults access to financial services.
