Dangote Group, Ondo partnership targets 15,000mt rice output

The Ondo state government will achieve an annual rice output of 15,000 metric tonnes from a partnership with the Dangote Group, according to Sani Dawop, the general manager, Dangote Industries Limited.

Dawop on Thursday said 3,000-hectare rice farmland expected from the Ondo government will engage more than 6,000 youths, with 30 percent allotted to women.

Urging the government to expedite fulfilment of its quota, he said the state could potentially lead others in rice cultivation.

Adegboyega Adefarati, the state’s commissioner for agriculture, assured the group of its readiness to support the realisation of the 3,000-hectare rice farm.

Receiving the Dangote Group delegation, he said the investment decision aligned with the government’s vision to make the most of agriculture particularly for job creation, economic diversification and poverty alleviation.

He further urged the group to look in the direction of establishing a rice processing plant to guard against capital flight from the state.

According to him, the shortage of crop processing industries was the major challenge facing farmers in the state.