The Benue Investment and Property Company Limited (BIPC) is urging citrus farmers to stop exporting oranges out of the state. Dr Raymond Asemakaha, the group managing director, said the practice threatens Benue's push to build local industries and process agricultural goods locally.
Asemakaha wants farmers to sell their oranges to the Bensono Concentrate Factory instead of buyers outside Benue. He warned that if raw oranges keep leaving the state, the factory and other processing plants won't have enough raw materials to operate.
The state has spent significant resources building these processing facilities, Asemakaha noted. He said Benue can no longer afford to watch its agricultural wealth leave unprocessed while local factories struggle to find inputs.
"The era of exporting our wealth in its raw form is over," he said. "Our priority is to create jobs, add value to our agricultural produce and build a sustainable industrial economy for Benue people."
Each orange processed in the state means jobs for workers, better incomes for farmers, and stronger prosperity for Benue, he explained. BIPC is promising competitive prices and a guaranteed market for farmers who supply oranges directly to Bensono.
Asemakaha called on traditional rulers, local government leaders, security agencies and community figures to back the campaign. He said protecting these industries is everyone's responsibility and will create jobs while boosting the state's economy.
The BIPC boss stressed that his agency remains committed to Governor Hyacinth Alia's industrialisation agenda. He said the government is determined to process Benue's abundant agricultural resources locally to generate wealth, create employment and drive economic growth.
