PRESIDENT TINUBU OPENS BENUE’S GIANT FRUIT PLANT

As 40,000-metric-ton factory sets to create jobs, cut imports and boost farmers

By Queen Kunde

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commissioned Bensono Fruits Processing Company Limited’s 40,000-metric-ton-per-day concentrate plant in Makurdi, describing it as a major step towards Nigeria’s industrial and agricultural transformation.

Represented by his Chief of Staff, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, the President said the new factory would create thousands of jobs, strengthen the economy, earn foreign exchange and reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported fruit concentrate.

He praised the Benue State Government and the Benue Investment and Property Company (BIPC) for driving industrial growth and urged residents to continue supporting Governor Hyacinth Alia’s vision of making Benue Nigeria’s industrial hub.

Governor Alia said the factory would provide a ready market for fruits grown across the state and help end the huge post-harvest losses farmers have suffered for decades.

According to him, the plant will supply both local and international markets and is one of several industries completed by his administration within the last three years.

The governor listed the concentrate plant, the fruit juice factory and the Food Basket Brewery as key projects that will expand the state’s economy, improve farmers’ incomes and create employment opportunities for young people.

BIPC Group Managing Director, Dr. Raymond Asemakaha, described the facility as one of the largest and most modern fruit concentrate plants in West Africa, with a daily processing capacity of 40,000 metric tons.

He said the factory would drastically reduce fruit waste and produce concentrate for both local use and export. He added that all by-products would be converted into organic fertilizer, making the plant a zero-waste operation.

Dr. Asemakaha also commended Governor Alia for reviving the project after more than 18 years of abandonment, saying the investment would help reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported fruit concentrate while opening new opportunities for farmers and investors.

The commissioning ceremony attracted prominent personalities, including former Benue State Governor Senator Gabriel Suswam, elder statesman Chief Barnabas Gemade, members of the Benue State Executive Council, lawmakers, traditional rulers, investors and other stakeholders.