Notore, C’River to Set up Africa’s Largest Rice Factory

Nigeria’s bid to attain food sufficiency has received a massive boost as agro-allied giant and proponent of the African Green Revolution, Notore Chemical Industries Limited, concluded negotiations and signed a Memorandum of Understa-nding (MoU) with the Government of Cross Rivers State to establish a 255,000-metric tonne per annum rice processing mill.
“The mill which will produce rice of the highest international standard would be accompanied by a 20,000 hectares rice farm in the state,” Notore said yesterday.
The company said the integrated rice processing mill, which had the potential to create about 15,000 new jobs, would be complemented with a state-wide out growers’ buy-back scheme, to supply the extra paddy rice needed to meet the operating capacity of the massive mill.
Group Managing Director and Chief Executive of Notore, Mr. Jite Okoloko, said: “The initiative keys into three of Federal Government’s seven-point agenda in the areas of food security, employment and wealth creation. Notore is strategising and committing huge resources to building capacity in Nigeria for world class rice production. Overall, this will boost food production, reduce rice importation, stimulate rice exportation and aptly position the nation towards food sufficiency. ”
He explained that Notore Foods, a subsidiary of Notore Group, is embarking on the project to fulfil its dream and desire to help Nigeria attain food self-sufficiency and security.
Okoloko said: “We have plans in progress to also establish another rice mill and another 20,000-hectare rice farm in Taraba State to augment efforts of the Calabar rice mill. This will ensure a steady supply of the mills after take-off.
“Nigeria has the potential to meet its 5 million MT rice needs and export to other African countries, but for now imports stand at 2 million MT worth over $1 billion annually from Asia. We consume about 5 million MT of rice per annum but produce 3 million MT, most of which are low quality.
“Demand is estimated to grow to over 8 million MT in the next decade while processing capacity is limited. The country operates significantly below capacity with insufficient raw material, and there is huge preference for long grain polished rice over local varieties.”
In his remarks, the Cross Rivers State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, expressed delight in the partnership and said such private public initiatives would immensely benefit people of the state and Nigerians in general.
The governor said agriculture was a priority for the state and promised that his government would give necessary support to the company to make Calabar the hub for rice processing and exportation.
He further said the state would provide suitable land, collaborate with the company and create appropriate enabling environment for the rice industry to thrive.
Okoloko explained that Notore “has already established a world class supply and distribution system that will guarantee the off take of paddy rice from the small scale out grower farms established nationwide to ensure that the required quantity of paddy rice be consistently achieved and channeled to the global and local market”.
He said the company would also guarantee the supply of premium fertilizers and improved seeds which would ensure optimal produce yields.
The project, in addition to creating 15,000 new jobs, can potentially support the development of 500 commercial farms, and create $50 million in additional foreign exchange.
Notore is well positioned to champion increasing local production of rice by leveraging world class agricultural skills, building relationships with farmers and a wide distribution network (for fertilizer and seeds) which will also serve as a guaranteed market (foods) for the farmers output, he said.