Hir Joseph
6 March 2008
Makurdi — An agro based mill in Makurdi, Benue State, has received the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) certificate of Nigerian Industrial Standard (NIS) for its parboiled rice products. The certificate was presented under the Mandatory Capacity Assessment Programme (MANCAP).
Agro-Millers Nigeria Limited which is run by Olam Nigeria Limited, Nigeria's leading developer and processor of agricultural products, received the certificate for its Lobi Rice when SON's Zonal Coordinator, Paul Oke paid the factory a visit, last week.
Paul Oke said OLAM's Lobi Rice is the first indigenous parboiled rice and the first to be presented with the NIS award. He noted that OLAM has met SON's conditions, but reminded the company that the body shall continue to monitor its performance and will not hesitate to withdraw the certificate, which is valued for three years only, anytime a breach is observed.
OLAM General Manager, Mr. Regi George expressed the company's appreciation and passed its commitment to continue to pursue standard in the manufacture of its products. He described the presentation of the certificate as a major leap forward by the company.
Regi George said OLAM which registered its feet on Benue soil in 2005, conquered initial hiccups and persevered to get to the present stage, saying. "We have crossed a major milestone by getting the NIS certificate," he said.
He revealed that the company intends to launch full time into Integrated Rice Production, adding that the present tonnage of the company is less than 10, 000 capacity per year, but expressed the hope that expansion is envisaged to about 20, 000 tonnes per year and subsequently 40, 000, since the state government has reviewed OLAM's lease contract for another five years.
"Based on these prospects, we need to expand our Out-growers scheme, to accommodate more rice farmers, to take care of the 40, 000 tonnes a year as envisaged in the expansion. Quite frankly, I can't say we have started generating profit yet, but we hope to get it in future.
"The factory production capacity now is less than 10,000 tonnes per year and we have invested $1.5 million in the project. But its worth the risk, because our rice, Lobi Rice, is the best parboiled rice locally and it is competing well with international parboiled rice. We had no single bag of unsold rice last year in our store", George added.
He further explained that its present Out-growers scheme, which involves providing farmers with specific rice seedlings as well as other incentives for cultivation, has covered seven local government areas in the state, with about 6, 000 farmers engaged.
He said that this is an indication of better days ahead for Benue rice farmers, as OLAM Nigeria Limited has planned an expansion of its Out-growers scheme based on intention to jump up its tonnage capacity at the Agro Millers rice factory in Makurdi.
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