Global Trade Zone Development Organisation, (GTZDO), a non governmental organization under its Global Food production initiative has decided to venture into agriculture, cultivates rice and expects to get about 18million tons of rice for Nigeria and African Market. Mr. Chris Timehin, a Mechanical and Chemical Engineer with local and oversea training and the vice President of the organization spoke to Vanguard on how they intend to dismantle food shortage in Nigeria and Africa.

Excerpts.

This organization Global Trade Zone Development Organization was founded by British and Nigeria scientific and economic firms to paddle with the government of the 3rd world and the advance countries who are committed to actualizing the millennium development goal of the united Nations. and its resolution to eradicate universal hunger and starvation. We intend to achieve this through agriculture.

You know productivity has three stages - primary, which is the agriculture produce; the secondary productivity sed goods while the tertiary has to do with the utilization of the secondary or processed goods. Your sugarcane for example, when you cultivate it, you processed it into semi product utilization and final utilizzation.

At the primary level, the GTZDO we set the stage for cultivation and at the secondary level, we also go to involve in the mechanism where the primary level product will be utilized. At the tertiary level, which may not be immediate because of the complexities, we also consider these area as viable. If we have to cultivate sugarcane, we also know that this will be converted to sugar and in the process of sugar, we should know we're going to solid meneral where we use lime which is one of the major material for sugar production. So GTZDO in general amplifies production and creates jobs and sets out the scenario for production at industrial level.

Partners of GTZDO

We work with Federal Ministry of Tade and Industry to se that they provide enabling law that will give our pfoject the needed support. They agreed and asked us to meet the states to make land available for our project, we will bring the funds and technology while the United Nations Food and Agricultura Organisation will provide the needed support when it takes off.

Land Area & Acquisition

First we are targeting three states. Two in the north and one in the south west. for a start and we are asking the state government to provide the at least 300,000 hectares of land. The area we are going are areas where rice is already being cultivated. So in each area, 6million tons will be cultivated. Each area would not have more than two locations because of facility utilization and to reduce cost of production.

We have chosen Bauchi and Kaduna states and arrangment are in top gear to meet the governors of these states for talks. They have already indicated interest and another state in the south west has shown tremendous support for the project.

Other Support

We do not have any specific industry for now but we know that we have them at the fence with their funds in their pockets waiting to invest it as soon as the projects takes-off. The British government will come in the area of technical support in terms of equipment.

Technology is not easily given out as you can see what it takes for our president to sign an agreement with German government. But when your government now commit that country in exchange of certain things, only on that basis you can be sure of technical support. As for the UN, they may come in where we need additional support, they will consider it under the World Food Programme Unit much as they want to see that it meets the millenium development goal of 2015. So the UN support is moreorless a back-up support.

When it will take off

Once we get the needed land area, the project will take off within three month. What will then follw is the seedling. We intend to use the 'Derica type-2' which is the best African rice seedling which can yield 20tons per hectares and with 300,000 hactares of cultivated land, we would get 6million tons. And since we are using three states, it means we would ge 18million tons of rice for the African market.

Nigeria cannot consume that much, some can be put in reserve while some will earn some foreign exchange. We chose rice because Nigeria and Africa in general consume rice a lot and it is one of the products Nigeria spends foreign exchange on. The bye products are also many, the shaft can be used for petroleum product because it contains oil. Coutries like Brazil and Japan use it.

We can also use it for soap making and other things. The starch content is even better than the cassava starch which is more of acidic content. The paddy residue extracted during milling could also be processed to obtain rice flour, vegetable oil, furfural and fertilizer. Besides, it can also help the CBN on its liquidity problem. So if we have 18millioon tons of rice, no matter how we eat, we cannot consume all and the other ones will for exports and if we sell at N2000 per bag, compared to the present price of N5,000 - N7,000 per bag, we will be making as much as N2.7bn and when you sell it for about $20 per bag, you save a lot of foreign exchange.

And remember when you processed the rice, the paddy residue (breakables) to produce industrial starch which you can also export. So, with this, African countries, even Europe when they consider it cheaper, with good standard guaranteed, they will come to buy and we will earn a lot of foreign exchange. So this initiative will benefit the whole of Africa in terms of food supply.