BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF.
The Gc Export Industrial Park is strategically positioned to leverage raw material sourcing and create employment opportunities for a substantial number of Kogi State residents and external candidates.
Established in Jamata, Kogi state over a decade ago as a cassava processing and export firm leveraging the Free Trade Zone profile, the company has grown into a major export-driven organization and substantial revenue earner for Kogi state and Nigeria.
Aside direct buying and processing of cassava and it’s products to ethanol, as the only surviving and leading company in Kogi and north central region, against the backdrop of the existence of many conglomerates in the Okun speaking area now moribund.
Navigating in the negative government policies in the last few years, the company has consolidated in the improvement of the economy of Kogi state, Nigeria and even the local economy of its location.
With robust export based of its products that is competitive in the foreign market , it had created a robust way of living both for its thousands of workforce, middle men and customers who daily trooped in with raw materials , and other things needed to sustain the company locally.
With readily available market, the location of the company had encouraged large scale farming of cassava that is the raw materials been harnessed and processed in many tonnes and large quantity over the years.
No doubt , not minding weekends and on a daily basis, the daily line up of both high capacity , medium and low automobiles waiting to discharge cassava after due transaction was visible.
The profit making company inspite of the harsh economic policy of government and discouraging tendencies which included lack of incentives, scarcity of hard currency, volatile exchange rates to promote business, was capitalized by the exploration of local content to produce its products for export.
Aside concentrating on its primary role of conversion of cassava to ethanol, efforts are been made to attract and exploit other areas that will be beneficial not only to Kogi state, North Central, but the entire country.
These included among others encouraging and engagement of large scale rice farmers across the state with its location at Jamata in Koton Karfe local government as a starting point.
The gradual diversification of business without recourse to the existence of the wholly ethanol producing company, will further encourage wholly large commercial production of rice for both local consumption and export.
With its target area of Jamata, Ohono, Koton Karfe, Girinya, and it’s environs, Jegu among many other areas of kogi and Lokoja local government, Kogi state in the shortest possible time will become not only the large producer of rice , but exporter of rice to outside the shores of the country.
With more research to other areas of farming and agriculture, no doubt the existence and establishment of Gc Export Industrial Park will transform the economy of Kogi and Nigeria at large.
Written BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF on yus.abubakar3@gmail.com.
