Edo holds Agribuisness Summit

The maiden edition of Edo State Agribusiness Investment Summit will hold in Benin City on April 23, 2012.
A statement jointly signed by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr Abdul Oroh, and the Executive Director, Public Private Partnership, Igbinidu Inneh, said the summit will be attended by leading international and national professionals in the agribusiness chain.

The summit, with the theme: “Transforming Agriculture in Edo State”, seeks to articulate and solicit stakeholder participation in policies and incentives, which will improve productivity, processing and market access in identified agriculture value chains in which Edo State has comparative advantage.
It is aimed at positioning Edo State with its immense natural endowments and geographic location, as a hub for agriculture and agro-allied industries and businesses in Nigeria.
Governor Adams Oshiomhole is expected to declare the summit open, while the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwunmi Ayodeji Adesina, will present the summit’s keynote address.
Other distinguished individuals and corporate entities in the Agribusiness sector internationally and within Nigeria will be presenting papers and discussing policy options and initiatives, which include Development of Sustainable Agribusiness, Improvement of Input Efficiency,
Provision of Incentives for Agriculture by the State Government, Promotion of Investments in Agriculture by the Private Sector and Strengthening the Institutional Infrastructure.
The summit, which will be chaired by Chief Audu Ogbe, has Dr. Patrick Kormawa, UNIDO Representative and Director, Regional Office, who is also author of a seminal book on Agribusiness in Africa, presenting the lead paper.
Two other papers will be presented by Dr. Graham Hefer, Managing Director, Okomu Oil Palm Plc and Dr. Tony Bello, Senior Technical Adviser to the Agriculture Minister on Agribusiness.