Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has commissioned a tomato processing plant, with a promise to make the state an industrial hub in the country.
The inauguration by the governor was part of the activities lined up for the 6th Kaduna Investment Summit.
In his remarks at the commissioning ceremony on Friday, he described the plant as evidence that investors have responded to the government’s consistent pitch about the economic potentials in Kaduna.
“The commissioning today (Friday) of the processing plant of Tomato Jos is a fitting conclusion to KADInvest 2.0,” Governor El-Rufai wrote on his Facebook page. “I am honoured to commission this factory.
“When we performed the ground-breaking for this project on 27 January 2020, we welcomed it as a vital investment in the agricultural potentials of Kaduna State. We are grateful to Tomato Jos for choosing to make Kaduna home. We wish Tomato Jos every success in this transition from growing tomato to also processing it.”
Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, was represented at the event by the bank’s Head of Retail Agricultural Credit, Chika Nwanjah.
He commended the state government for attracting more investors into the state, saying the success story of the processing plant has proven the priority that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has placed on diversifying the nation’s economy, which solely depends on crude oil to earn revenue.
The ground-breaking for the tomato processing factory was performed in January 2020, as a vital investment in the agricultural potentials in the state.
More than a year after, the factory which costs about N10.25 billion has been completed.
The Tomato Jos Paste Processing Plant is located at Kangimi Village in Igabi Local Government Area of the state.
It is expected to process between 80 – 100 metric tons of tomato daily and provide over 3,000 direct jobs to residents and others.
While the investment summit was ongoing, the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, visited the newly reconstructed Kasuwan Magani Market in Kajuru Local Government Area.
The Vice President commended Governor El-Rufai for his vision towards making Kaduna great again and attracting investors to the state.
The Kasuwan Magani market was razed during the ethno-religious crisis in 2018 – a crisis that led to the destruction of goods worth millions of naira.