John Owan, Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, has inaugurated a ₦10 billion facility owned by an Indian investor Prism Foods Limited in Dawakin Kudu Local Government Area of the State.
The Minister, while inaugurating the facility, expressed Nigeria’s commitment to industrialisation, assuring foreign investors of a favourable environment under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
The Minister noted that, the modern innovation facility would go a long way in addressing post-harvest losses among farmers across the nation.
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“By providing a reliable storage solution for onions and other perishable commodities, the facility will play a vital role in effective service delivery, supporting the nation’s agricultural development.
“This initiative aligns with President Tinubu’s agenda to curb post-harvest losses, potentially increasing farmers’ income and creating more job opportunities for youths”, he stated.
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State, represented by Shehu Sagagi, Commissioner for Commerce, commended Prism Foods Limited for establishing such a huge investment in Kano State.
He urged the Minister to facilitate the development of dedicated financing model in conjunction with the Bank of Industry (BOI), Bank of Agriculture, Nigeria Incentive -Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) and the National Development Bank with access to affordable and structured financing.
He said that implementation of the financing model will also enable farmers and processors able to scale up production and adopt improved technologies as well as integrate in to both domestic and export Market.
The governor proposed the establishment of a National Onion Council, a regulatory and promotional body to oversee quality and standard, coordinate production clusters and drive Nigeria’s position on the global onion map as one of the leading producers of Onion in Africa, noting that the time had come for Nigeria to define and defend its role in Global Onion Trade.
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Earlier, Aman Gupta, Chief Executive Officer CEO of Prism Foods Limited, highlighted that the massive post-harvest losses encountered by onion farmers prompted the establishment of the facility.
Also speaking, Aliyu Maitasamu, President of the National Onion Producers, Processors, and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NOPPMAN), said for years, Nigerian farmers had battled the crippling effects of post-harvest losses, especially in perishable produce like onions, expressing confidence and hope for the onion farmers in Nigeria.
He said, “this Initiative perfectly aligns with NOPPMAN’s mission to strengthen every link in the onion value chain from the seed in the soil to the market stall, and even to international borders”.
