Jigawa governor commissions Hibiscus processing plant

The Jigawa State Governor, Umar Namadi, has officially opened a Hibiscus processing plant in the state, named ‘ComttraJigawa’, for business.

The plant, situated at the Maigatari Export Processing Zone, is a public-private partnership project between the Jigawa State Government and a private company, Comttraex Nigeria Limited.

At the commissioning event on Tuesday, Mr Namadi said the plant is yet another milestone in his administration’s quest for economic diversification, employment and job creation in the state

“ComttraJigawa was established under a Public Private Partnership agreement between Jigawa State Government and Comttraex Nigeria Limited which is a Nigerian-based Company with a huge reputation for the processing and export of Hibiscus from Nigeria and indeed, some other agricultural produce.

“Even though the partnership agreement with Comttraex Nigeria was signed in April 2022, it was only a few months ago that concerted efforts were made to ensure that the benefits of the partnership are actualised for the development of our people”, Mr Namadi said.

He said the project also represents a milestone in the state’s pursuit of agricultural transformation, which places a high premium on value addition across the entire agricultural values chain aiming to reduce poverty among citizens.

“Over the last few years, Jigawa State has successfully pursued an Agricultural Transformation Program which we pledged to sustain as part of our 12-Point Agenda.

“The overarching objective is to accelerate the contributions of the agricultural sector to the growth of the State’s and National Economy, attainment of National food security, economic diversification, job creation, provision of sustainable means of livelihoods for the citizens, and to achieve overall poverty reduction,” Mr Namadi said.

Addressing adulteration

Mr Namadi said the state government will ensure the Hibiscus produce from the state is not adulterated before exportation.

“Soon, we will revitalise the State Consumer Protection Committee to enforce standards and ensure that there is no adulteration in the initial local packaging for the product. This is very important so that we build trust and confidence with the final up-takers.

“Jigawa State is today a major contributor to national food security and the diversification of the national economy being among the topmost producers of many food and cash crops, particularly rice, wheat, sesame, industrial tomato, and of course, the hibiscus flower.

“Similarly, Jigawa State is a major producer of Hibiscus Flower in Nigeria most of which is being exported. More Hibiscus Flower is produced in Jigawa State than any other State in Nigeria which makes Jigawa to be the leading producer and exporter of Hibiscus Flower in Nigeria.

“Notwithstanding, value addition has been very limited, which makes the gain for our farmers to be sub-optimal. It is my firm belief that the establishment of ComttraJigawa will change the narrative”, Mr Namadi said.

The governor said the processing plant has a daily cleaning capacity of six tonnes and a daily fumigation capacity of 48 tonnes, describing it as a game changer.

READ ALSO: Jigawa gov inaugurates anti-corruption agency, goes tough on MDAs

“Not only will it help enhance production and quality hibiscus production and processing in our State, but will transform Jigawa State into a leading ‘HUB’ for aggregation, cleaning, fumigation, and subsequent export of the product from Nigeria.

“This will also ensure that while adding value to the product, our farmers could now get optimal value for the product and help fetch more in export earnings for Nigeria.

“Through ComttraJigawa, we will enhance the quality and quantity of hibiscus production and processing in our State, making Jigawa a leading hub for this booming industry in Nigeria and beyond. We will empower our local farmers, providing them with access to modern technology, training, and links to appropriate markets”, Mr Namadi said.