IMO STATE PUBLIC ENLIGHTENMENT
IMO STATE AGRO INDUSTRIAL PROCESSING ZONE PROJECT
Very recently, His Excellency Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodinma in his wisdom decided to attract a novel project called SPECIAL AGRO-INDUSTRIAL PROCESSING ZONE PROJECT (SAPZ) to Imo State.
Unfortunately, some Imolites rather than calling on the Governor to unveil the content of the project hurriedly and erroneously misconstrued the projects for RUGA and thereby belly aching and spoiling for war against the government of Imo State
It is no longer news that due to the COVID-19 Pandemic socio-economic experience most state Governors have put on their “thinking caps” and looking for how to boost their IGR and meager income. Because, like it or not, the ERA OF “FEEDING BOTTLE STATES” IS GONE FOR GOOD.
Obviously, the time to start thinking outside the box is now.
Guided by genuine commitment and sincerity, Governor Hope Uzodinma wisely leveraged on his Abuja connection to attract this huge Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone Project (SAPZ) a Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) funded through the African Development Bank (ADB) and Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN). Interestingly, a combined delegation of the ÀDB, FGN, IMSG and the Expatriate Financiers took a tour of Mbaitoli, Owerri West, Mbaise and Oguta Local Government Areas for necessary soil sampling and interactions with some critical stakeholders which included traditional rulers early this September.
Apparently, the SAPZ is clearly conceptualized as having profound intellectual and impactful economic value. Similar to the popular industrial park concept, it requires the acquisition of designated but suitable portion of a city or contiguous communities. Furthermore, SAPZs are structured to concentrate on agro-processing activities within areas of high agric potential.
It therefore, enables agric producers, processors, aggregators and distributors to operate in one contiguous vicinity thereby reducing transactional costs and sharing business development Services for increased productivity and competitiveness. Succinctly enumerated below are some facts concerning the benefits, structure and outcomes of the SAPZ Projects.
BENEFITS OF SAPZs among others are as follows:
• Measure to combat rural poverty
• Add enormous value to community land.
• Create direct and indirect entrepreneurship.
• Create ample employment opportunities for youths and women.
• Checks Rural-Urban migration.
• Boost Government IGR
High potential for economic diversification.
• It has great potential for economic diversification.
THE SAPZ BASIC STRUCTURE
The core mandate structure of the SAPZ project is to create Agric-Transformation Centers (ATCs) that will incorporate the following:-
PRODUCTION ZONES – Modern farm clusters
Green Houses
Livestock Farms
Fish Farms.
PROCESSING ZONE:- Value addition to farm products
SUPPORRT ZONES: – ▪Research &Development Library
▪Trading centers
▪Mechanization Repair Centers
▪Conference/Meeting Centers
▪Packaging Centers and
▪Administration and Bus/Truck complexes
SOCIAL ANGLE
▪Utilities and Ground Maintenance
▪Hospitality Units
▪Health Centers
▪Nutrition Centers
▪Schools & Sports Centers
▪Cold Stores
▪Ripening Chambers
▪Warehousing
Terminal Market & Logistics.
KEY GOALS OF SAPZ
Enhance productivity: This includes increase yield through the use of modernization, mechanization, digitalization and irrigation.
Reduced Post-harvest loss via linkage to markets, off-takers and primary processing facilities.
Reduced operational cost through – shared facilities and economics of agglomeration.
Increased value addition through: Application of modern processing to increase value to all chain actors especially farmers and consumers.
KEY OUTCOMES OF SAPZ
Food sufficiency, security and nutrition.
Boost revenue from agric exports.
Wealth creation for rural communities.
Create sustainable jobs especially for youths and women.
Enhance “Hope”, Reduce restiveness and crime.
Boost rural live expectancy and check rural-urban drift.
Admittedly, the SAPZ is a “good wine that needs no bush,” and so the effort of Governor Uzodinma to attract it to Imo State is apt. It appears the battle to mischievously tag the SAPZ “dead on arrival” as RUGA was more on the political ground than socio-economic. Their entire action was more of hate for Governor Hope Uzodinma than love of Imo or Oguta Local Government Area and their communities. In all of these, His Excellency Senator Hope Uzodinma should rather be commended and lauded for exemplary courage demonstrated to resolve some excruciating socio-economic issues bedeviling Imo State over 20years without succumbing to enormous criticism and pressure by detractors whose stock in trade is to ensure that Imo perpetually remains their “cash cow” and that the status quo of monumental sleeze continue unabated.
William Arthur said; “The pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects it to change, while the realist adjust the sails”.
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