FG creating lucrative business employment in agriculture —Minister

THE Federal Government has  expressed strong political will and commitment to create lucrative business employment in agriculture.

The Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, said this when he received the officials of Nestle Nigeria Plc led by its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mauricio Alarcon, during a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja.

Lokpobiri said that the business-employment opportunities in agriculture could not be fully tapped despite the nation’s increasing population.

He commended the activities of Nestle Nigeria whose source of raw materials for production of her food products was 82 per cent local content, saying this had reduced the pressure on foreign exchange for importation of such needed raw materials.

He added that this sourcing of locally produced raw materials by Nestle had further created business-employment for Nigerians across board, especially farmers who grew the raw materials.

The minister expressed optimism that soon their raw materials would be sourced 100 per cent locally in Nigeria, thereby increasing the business-employment opportunities for more Nigerians.

Lokpobiri said the Federal Government was willing to partner and support Nestle, as well as ensure that everything humanly possible was done to meet Nestle’s needs of raw materials.

The minister, while  commending the corporate social responsibilities of Nestle in the provision of water, training, capacity building for over 41,600 farmers, said it confirmed Nestle’s intention to invest in new land and capacity building for farmers who produced maize, rice, sorghum etc.

Earlier, the Managing Director and chief Executive Officer of Nestle Mauricio Alarcon said they were in the Ministry to seek Federal Government collaboration in the production of more food products.

In Cassava Flour production, he assured the Minister that Nestle would create share value addition to the Nigerian government for other companies to emulate to grow and boost the Nigerian economy.