Olam Nigeria Limited, an agri-business company, has announced plans to increase its production capacity to 240,000 metric tonnes of rice paddy per annum from the present 120,000mt.
Anil Nair, senior vice president of Olam rice business, disclosed this recently while hosting Abdullahi Sule, governor of Nasarawa, during a working visit to the company’s rice farm in Rukubi, Doma LGA of the state.
Nair stated that the visit was well-timed as Olam was currently expanding its milling facilities from 120,000mt to 240,000mt of rice paddy annually, which according to him, would make it the largest rice mill in Nigeria.
Nair said the expansion, when completed, is expected to contribute 90,000mt of milled rice to the domestic market.
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He further appealed to the governor to help with the construction of the road from Doma to Akpanaja.
This, he said, would have a direct impact on the sustainable growth of the company’s business in the state.
“Olam is committed to a strong and sustainable long-term relationship with her host communities and other interested parties,” Nair said.
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“Evidence of this commitment is in the projects the farm has embarked upon, as a demonstration of social responsibility, and the direct bearing they have on the host communities.
“The farm has executed projects such as construction and rehabilitation of rural roads, construction of classrooms for schools, employment of teachers, payment of scholarship and provision of relief materials for flood victims, among others.”
In line with the company’s local content policy, Nair said 80 percent of over 2000 employees are from the host state.
During his visit, Sule also commissioned a school built and donated by the company to the host community.
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He commended Olam for its efforts to add value to the lives of the community’s residents.
The governor also lauded the company for its consistent drive to help Nigeria attain self-sufficiency in rice production.
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