Benue State Governor Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia has said his administration is to expand agriculture and agro-business with the introduction of modern agricultural production methods.
The governor while addressing newsmen at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, yesterday after returning from the United States expressed happiness to be back home to continue with the business of governance, adding that his administration was also looking at the processing industry to stop post-harvest losses incurred by farmers in the state.
“Our pitches in the United States of America were primarily on the productivity of our state including agriculture and its modernisation. We as a government are strictly looking at the expansion of agric and agro-business in the state. Our next phase of this shift will probably be the processing industry. We usually incur post-harvest wastages. So we will make a shift where the farmers also gain, and we also are able to gain as a state”, he said.
The governor said he and many of his colleagues from the North had met with the Nigerian Professionals Network where fruitful discussions were held for the overall good of their various states.
He added that they also met the deputy secretary general of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed, who understands the backward nature of Benue as a state and made it a priority to ensure that Benue is no longer cut off from the national mix.
“It was a very productive trip overall. Two governors were privileged to be there at their own invite (myself and the governor of Niger State).
“Our second meeting was with the United Nations under the leadership of the Deputy Secretary General, Her Excellency, Amina Mohammed, who remains very gracious to the entire nation of ours. She has shown a lot of interest in Benue. She understands how backward we have been. She understands much of our cut-off from the national mix. So it remains her priority to ensure that the state goes back in line and what is ours, comes back to us”, he said.
