Governor Oborevwori said the programme would enhance food security, agro-processing, employment creation, export earnings, infrastructural development with its overall effect on the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He disclosed this when he received officials of the African Development Bank, (ADB), Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), National Cereal Research Institute (NCRI) led by Dr Chuma Ezedinma at Government House, Asaba.
The Governor thanked the delegation for shortlisting Delta State among the successful states for the programme, assuring that his administration would do everything possible to make the programme a success.
He said: “I welcome you all on this final mission to assess our readiness for the establishment and implementation of the Transformational Integrated Special Agricultural Processing Zone for which Delta State has been shortlisted for the second phase.”
He said Delta was endowed with arable land suitable for cultivation of palm fruits, casava, maize, yams, plantain and all sorts of vegetables, saying the Special Agricultural Processing Zone would be a strategic addition and would be hugely successful.
“Let me state without doubt that the Special Agricultural Processing Zone is critical to our strategy to transform and strengthen the entire Agricultural ecosystem of Delta State.
“We intend to attract, engage and recertify farms and agro value chains to the best in class using the template of the African Development Bank.
“We count on your support to see the project to fruition while we pledge as a government to meet all the necessary requirements to enable it’s actualisation,” the Governor said.
Earlier, Dr Ezedinma said Delta State has been shortlisted for the second phase of the programme and lauded the state government for it’s Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) model which according to him was unique and a pacesetter.
“Delta State has Economic Zone Management Company designed to manage the industrial zones within the area. Delta has adopted the Public Private Partnership approach which is fundamental for the bank.
“We want to see that the model is used to deliver development of the industrial zones within the state and we want the state to be in the driver’s seat providing the enabling environment while the bank will provide some catalytic financing to help them move forward on this process.”
On his part, Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer of the Delta State Free Trade Zone, Pastor Godwin Akpovie said the Free Trade Zone Operations Centre in Kwale, Osubi Agro Transformation Centre, among others in Isoko and Agbor would create over 50,000 jobs for Deltans.