Benue govt to commence resuscitation of N70bn Taraku Mills, targets 2,000 jobs

From Attah Ede, Makurdi

Benue State Government through the Benue Investment and Property Company Limited (BIPC) has worked out modalities to  commence immediate revival of the long-abandoned Taraku Mills Limited, with plans to begin rehabilitation work on the facility next week.

The facility located at Gwer East Local Government Area of the State which has remained functional since 2009, is expected  to create over 2,000 direct jobs and strengthen agricultural value chains across the state if is revived.

Managing Director of the Benue Investment and Property Company (BIPC), Dr. Raymond Asemakaha, announced this during an inspection visit to the facility.

Dr. Asemakaha maintained that the company is valued at over $50 million (about N70 billion) and was designed to process maize, animal feed and soybean products. 

He described it as a strategic asset capable of driving industrialisation and economic growth in Benue Stat, stating that the government was committed to restoring the factory to full operation, as eviving existing assets is more cost-effective than constructing new facilities.

According to Asemakaha, “despite years of inactivity, most of the equipment remains intact and in near-new condition due to the vigilance of the host community and security personnel who protected the facility from vandalism.”

He explained that an ongoing asset audit would determine the exact condition of the plant and the level of investment required for operations to resume saying “former technical personnel with institutional knowledge of the facility will conduct assessments and dry-run tests.”

Asemakaha said the government had learnt lessons from previous attempts to lease public assets to operators without the capacity to manage them effectively, stressing that “the revitalisation of Taraku Mills would create markets for farmers and stimulate economic activities in transportation and other sectors.”

He projected that the facility would directly employ at least 2,000 youths while generating thousands of indirect jobs. He also announced the immediate payment of five months’ outstanding allowances owed to security personnel at the plant.

He commended the host community for safeguarding the facility over the years, noting that despite the prolonged shutdown, no cables or major components had been vandalized.

"I want to appreciate the community for protecting this plant. Despite having more than N2 billion worth of spare parts on site, nothing was stolen. This level of commitment demonstrates the community's desire to see the factory return to operation," he said.

Dr. Asemakaha further emphasized that the revitalization of the mill would create a ready market for agricultural produce and improve the livelihoods of farmers across the state through value addition and industrial processing.

A pioneer engineer at the factory, Mr. James Ikuve, said Taraku Mills was established as an integrated agro-processing company with maize and feed milling, as well as oil processing divisions.

Ikuve said the maize processing plant has an installed capacity of 120,000 tonnes annually, while the feed mill can produce 172,300 tonnes of animal feed yearly. He added that the soybean processing units can handle hundreds of tonnes daily, with the refinery capable of processing 100 tonnes per day.

According to Ikuve, the factory previously operated at about 75 percent of its installed capacity, with its last production run carried out in 2013 under Growrich Resort Limited.

Chairman of Gwer East Local Government Area, Mr. Timothy Adi, Civil Protection Guard Commander Mr. Joseph Sough and Assistant Director at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Emmanuel Atsia, commended Governor Hyacinth Alia for the initiative, expressing optimism that the revival of the facility would create jobs, support soybean farmers and restore economic benefits to the community