Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State says the government is targeting a harvest of 1.2 million bags of rice from its farms located in Jangwa and Agwatashi, on the boundary between Awe and Obi Local Government Areas.

The state government had cultivated 3,300 hectares of rice from the 10,000 hectares acquired for the rice project in the area.

Mr Sule, while inspecting the rice harvest on Thursday, expressed delight with the progress recorded so far, noting that more than 600,000 bags of rice had been harvested within two weeks of the exercise.

“This is about 50 per cent of the harvest so far, and we still have about two more weeks to the end of the harvest,” he said.

The governor said plans were underway to expand cultivation in the next farming cycle.

He explained that transportation of harvested paddy to Abuja and Lokoja, Kogi State, for milling and branding had already commenced.

Mr Sule also announced that the state had partnered with Silvex International, a leading rice processing company, to purchase and process rice from the farm under the Nasarawa Agro-Commodity Company (NASACCO) brand.

According to him, the processed product, to be marketed as “NASACCO Gold,” is expected to boost the visibility and competitiveness of Nasarawa rice and contribute to national food security.

“We will soon launch the NASACCO rice in Abuja after the harvest and milling of this year’s produce,” Mr Sule said.

The governor said clearing of the remaining portion of the farmland would begin after the harvest in preparation for the next farming season.

He added that the state had put measures in place to ensure the sustainability of the project beyond the tenure of the present administration, given its potential for food security, job creation and value-chain development.

Mr Sule commended host communities, security agencies, partners, state officials and farm workers for their support throughout the season.

He said the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s agricultural transformation agenda aimed at boosting food production and creating jobs across the country.

(NAN)