By Emmanuel Nduka
The Government of Benin Republic has granted 30,000 hectares of land to Labana Rice Mills, a Nigerian company, for the cultivation of rice in.
General Manager of the company, Abdullahi Idris-Zuru, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, informing that the company would in 2022, finance farmers in the country through the Benin Republic Government to produce 20,000 metric tonnes of paddy rice during the dry season.
“A total of 30,000 hectares of farmland are being made available in the Benin Republic to Labana Rice Mills for the cultivation of rice.
“These resolutions were made during a joint meeting of Beninous Government officials with Labana Rice Mills delegation to Cotonou, the country’s capital, last weekend.
“The meeting with the Labana delegation led by the chairman, Abubakar Abbah-Adamu, was chaired by the Benin Minister of Agriculture, Gaston Dossouhoui,” he said.
Mr Idris-Zuru added that the Benin Government granted the farmland after an assessment of the company’s rice mills and farms in Kebbi State, northern Nigeria.
“The report has convinced the government of Labana Rice Mills’ capacity to be a reliable partner in agriculture,” the GM added.
