Aviation Minister Stella Oduah said on Monday that the Federal Government would soon establish the first fresh produce cargo in the country in Jos.
Oduah said this in Jos when she visited Plateau’s Governor Jonah Jang.
She said that a total of 16 fresh produce cargo terminals would be constructed nationwide.
“From the progress of work on the Jos airport cargo terminal, Plateau will be the first state to have such a terminal for the exportation of fresh farm produce,’’ Oduah said.
The minister said that Plateau was picked to be the very first to have such a terminal because of its vast and rich agricultural produce which have proved to be in high demand outside the shores of Nigeria,
Oduah decried a situation where 50 per cent of the fresh produce grown in Plateau were usually wasted due to lack of proper means of transportation and preservation, and promised to check the trend.
She said that the objective of the fresh produce initiative was to give rural farmers access to the international market, adding the development would also boost inter-state commerce.
The minister said that the terminal would provide employment opportunities for youths and women, and advised the state government to set aside 250 hectares of land with close proximity to the fresh cargo produce terminal, to ensure steady supply to international markets.
She called on the private sector to key into the initiative in areas such as net or green house farming, logistics, cold room automatic storage and vegetable trivial system.
Oduah commended Gov. Jang for the huge investments in the agricultural sector, adding that both the traditional and mechanised methods had been upgraded.
In his remarks, Jang thanked the minister for the visit and expressed happiness that the state would be the first to host a fresh produce cargo terminal.
He told the minister that five billion naira had been set aside in the State’s budget to expand the airport’s runway, and assured her of the state’s government optimal support toward a speedy completion of the project.
