The Federal Government has launched several Agribusiness Industrial Hubs in Oyo State to reduce post-harvest losses and enhance value addition in farming communities.
President Bola Tinubu, represented by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, commissioned the hubs during a flag-off ceremony in Fasola, with additional hubs planned for Eruwa and Atan-Ijaiye.
According to Vice-President Shettima, these agribusiness hubs will serve as catalytic centers for food processing, storage, and distribution.
“By reducing post-harvest losses which currently account for up to 40% of total agricultural output, we are unlocking significant economic value and securing livelihoods for millions.” He said.
The hubs is expected to host over 40 agribusiness ventures, creating employment opportunities for over 100,000 Nigerians and supporting the livelihoods of more than 500,000 farmers.
The initiative is part of a broader effort to modernize Nigeria’s agricultural landscape under the current administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The Oyo State pilot is part of the Federal Government’s wider Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) program, spearheaded in partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB).
The AfDB has committed $2.2 billion toward the SAPZ rollout which will provide essential services such as drying, packaging, value addition, and cold chain storage for crops like cassava, maize, rice, and onions.
The initiative is expected to reduce post-harvest losses from 45% to 20% and create nearly 500,000 new jobs.
The federal government plans to expand the agribusiness hubs model beyond Oyo State, with similar projects in the pipeline across the country.
Vice-President Shettima described the initiative as a “watershed moment in the country’s economic diversification strategy,” emphasizing its potential to reduce the nation’s overreliance on food imports and improve food security.
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