FG should embrace massive production in agriculture- Sabina Pad boss

The chairman of Sabina Pad,Rufus Olopade has called on government to stop paying lips service to agriculture sector but embrace massive production through private participation.

Olopade noted that there are enough animal feed production companies in the country that can meet the domestic demand and also increase import, regretting that such company’s lacks fund to embark on large scale production due to the high cost of raw materials

He lamented that the cost of production has forced many feed manufacturing companies to shutdown adding that the situation is not healthy for agricultural sector.

While making reference to Sabina Pad Company, the chairman said that the company has since 2008 installed a line machine that can produce one tone per hour but presently running at a low capacity due to lack fund to purchase raw materials.

According to him, the production machine has five conveyors which are in perfect conditions with a 250KV generator.

Olopade added that Stanbic IBTC bank had initially invested in the company due to its viability, therefore, called on individuals and state government with interest in agriculture to partner with Sabina pad to increase the production capacity of the company.

He assured that the high rate of unemployment in the country and youth restiveness can be best address by increasing local production of goods and services saying that agriculture is capable of employing more than 50 %   of the population.

While commending the federal government on the ban of importation of animal feeds, he called on the government to support local production through genuine investment and monitoring, warning that government should not fold their arms to allow animal feed production companies shutdown, noted that millions of Naira were invested in those companies.

Olopade maintained that there is availability of market for animal feed production because only companies are producing and they cannot meet the market demand.

He disclosed that Sabina Pad had successfully worked with Ogun and Rivers states through USAID, saying that the demand should interest government and individuals to invest in animal fed production.