Ogun State governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has disclosed that the US$ 2. 5 billion Cotton Processing Factory under the Renewed Hope Cotton Resurgence Initiative of President Bola Tinubu would soon commence operation in the state.
Abiodun made this known during the launch of the Agriconnect Mini-programme at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, a digital agric platform for empowering farmers through mobile-enabled Agricultural Intelligence.
The project, launched by Minister Tunji Bosun, was initiated by his Ministry of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy and the Ogun State government in conjunction with telecom firms.
Abiodun said the factory, which has capacity to process 1000 tonnes of cotton, would in the next 60 days have President Tinubu perform the ground breaking of this biggest and largest cotton processing plant in the world.
The governor added that the tonnes of Cotton to be processed daily at the factory in terms of garment production translates to about four million garments a day just as it also has potential to engage 250,000 direct and indirect labour when operational.
On the Agric-Connect, Abiodun also disclosed that 1000 farmers under the Ogun State Farmer’s Information Management System would benefit from the scheme, adding that the digital platform would harness the growth of agriculture by establishing a robust platform that could connect farmers to virtual resources, modern technologies and accessible markets.
The Governor said that the Agric-connect initiative was not merely about enhancing productivity but about creating a holistic technology driven ecosystem that empowers Nigerian farmers with information about what to plant and the rainy pattern.
“According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the April Consumer index indicates that Ogun State experienced a decline in food inflation on a month to month basis.
“As a matter of fact, the statistics went further to say that Ogun State ranks among the states with the slowest rise in food inflation nationwide.
“This is not by our power or might, this is what our President, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has done,” he said.
In his remarks, Minister of Communication, Dr. Bosun Tijani, said that the Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has placed food security at the heart of national development strategy, adding that the target of the Federal Government was to cultivate 500,000 hectares of land.
