By Henry Ibya, Makurdi
Benue Investment and Property Company, BIPC, has expressed optimism that its partnership with Sono Group, a Brazilian fruits processing company will help to reduce post-harvest losses suffered in the past by orange producers in the state.
GMD/CEO Benue Investment and Property Company, BIPC, Dr. Raymond Asemakaha who made the declaration during a media briefing held yesterday after a ceremony to welcome the team at the company’s headquarters in Makurdi, further explained that the 15 year partnership will reduce post-harvest losses by 80-85 percent, increase farmers income as well as improve their livelihood.
He argued that investing in orange producers would not only create a stable market for farmers alone, highlighting other benefits to include Job opportunities for youths, enhancing overall efficiency of agricultural operations, contributing to the growth and development of the state’s economy, increase in the GDP of the state and to assist the state to hold its cash within the system.
Dr. Asemakaha who said the initiative of the fruit juice company by BIPC is to ensure that orange farmers have value for their produce, disclosed that the company intends to determine the the price of the product in Nigeria once production at the factory commences October 1 hence the reason to partner Sono and Picama Groups who are world leading names in fruit juice processing with balance sheet of over 60.6m Euro in the year 2024.
He described Sono Group as one of the biggest juice and concentrate producing company’s in the world, expressing happiness that the journey to bring the company to the state which started a year ago has come to fruition, assuring that as Sono commences production October 1, Benue oranges will no longer leave the state in the manner farmers were cheated in the past.
The GMD, BIPC who urged farmers in orange farming to redouble their production to sufficiently feed the factory with enough raw materials for take- off, expressed appreciation to Sono Group for accepting to come and work with BIPC.
He equally commended Governor Hyacinth Alia for trusting the team under his leadership and the opportunity to serve as GMD, as well as realizing the need to establish a company that will bring about value addition to the post- harvest losses witnessed by Benue farmers over the years, assuring that BIPC and Sono Group will take- off 100percent oranges from for these October 1.
Asemakaha also announced that the chaff that would be realized after production would be converted into bio- gass and fertilizer, urging orange farmers and associations to work together to ensure the success of this initiative.
On his part Chairman Sono Group and leader of the team, Mr. Lius Arenac noted that as a Brazilian who has worked in big juice processing company’s all his life, experience has revealed that it was impossible to get the right result and profit with wrong raw material, attesting that the oranges in Benue were of high quality and the right raw materials for the company.
” If you have the right raw materials, it is possible. We did it in Brazil and Ghana, believing that we will do it here again” he said, assuring that the October 1 dateline will be met taking the company one- two weeks to calibrate quality.
