Dangote to spend $1bn on rice project

The Dangote Group has disclosed it is investing $1bn on rice cultivation in five states to boost food self-sufficiency.

To mark its day at the just concluded Gateway Fair, which held in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Dangote Cement, a subsidiary of the Group, gave out many tools and implements to the block makers in the state in appreciation of their patronages.

 A statement from the Corporate Communications department of the Group said that items such as wheel barrowers, shovels, umbrellas and hand-gloves were donated to block makers who assembled from different areas of the state.

 Commending Dangote Group for its sponsorship and participation at the Fair, president of the Ogun State Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (OGUNCCIMA), Mrs Adesola Adebutu, said the support given by the Group went a long way in making the staging of the fair a success.

 A director of the Dangote Group, Tunde Mabogunje, who represented the Group at the special day, said that the partnership with OGUNCCIMA was beneficial as Ogun State is the host of the 12 million metric tonnes per annum Dangote Cement plant, Ibese, the second largest cement plant in Nigeria.

“We are investing about $1bn in rice cultivation. We have an outgrowers scheme where thousands of farmers are empowered with improved seeds and items needed to cultivate rice.”