Echocho’s Rice Mill Project Set to Boost Farmers in Kogi East

By Ugbede James Ankpa

The rice mill plant facilitated by the Senator representing Kogi East Senatorial District, Jibrin Isah Echocho, is approaching completion, with the installation of equipment now in its final phase.
The project, one of the senator’s constituency interventions, is located in Abejukolo, the headquarters of Omala Local Government Area. The site was selected following a needs assessment, considering that rice farming has long been a major agricultural activity in communities across the council.
Speaking on the development, a local rice farmer, Mr. Andrew Atai Ufaruna, described the project as a significant boost for rural farmers engaged in rice cultivation. According to him, the location of the mill in Abejukolo is strategic, making it easily accessible to farmers from the eleven wards across the three zones of Omala Local Government Area.
Ufaruna also expressed optimism that rice farmers from neighbouring Nasarawa State, particularly those accessing the area through River Benue via Bagana, would utilise the facility, given the large-scale rice production in the area.
An investigative visit to the project site showed that the installation of machinery is almost complete. However, it could not be confirmed whether the rice mill would be commissioned before the next harvest season.
CAPITAL POST recalls that a similar model rice mill is also being established in Ibaji Local Government Area, another agrarian part of Kogi State renowned for its extensive rice cultivation due to its swampy terrain.