Obiano to Inaugurate $100m Ekcel Farm Project
As part of activities commemorating his one year anniversary in office, Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State, will today inaugurate a monumental site signalling the formal take off of the $100 million Ekcel Farm project in the state.
The farm project which is sited in Omasi, Ayamelum Local Government Area of Anambra State, is a private sector initiative by Ekcel Farms Limited for the development of full scale mechanised agriculture in Anambra State.
Ekcel Farms Limited, a subsidiary of Oilserv Limited, is set to partner recognised global key players in the agribusiness industry, and will focus on meeting the millennium investment goals and objectives of the state government, through developing a scheme that will facilitate
massive agricultural development in the state. This partnership is further expected to take advantage of the economic transformation programmes of the state government in order to fully realise her investment potentials.
Estimated to cost about $100 million, the project is to involve the large scale commercial production and processing of cassava and tomato into bi-products for the local and export markets.
The project, which is consistent with the Anambra State vision to become a first choice investment destination and a hub for industrialisation and commercial activities, will expectedly contribute largely to the state’s agricultural productivity, industrialisation and development, just as it will boost activities in the key areas of produce processing, manufacturing and exports.
The state government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in September 2014 with Ekcel Farms Limited.
Ekcel Farms operations will maximise the utilisation of local agricultural raw produce, and by so doing create more jobs for citizens of immediate communities and put more money in their pockets.
Apart from being a major consumer of their produce, Ekcel would expose the local farmers to the benefits of agricultural research in areas of crops utilisation, land use maximisation and opportunities optimisation.