The Katsina State Government has announced a pilot agricultural investment with private sector investors for the establishment of an agro-allied processing factory with an integrated out-grower scheme in Tashar Bala village, Batagarawa Local Government Area of the state.
The major pilot agricultural investment, under the Framework for Responsible and Inclusive Land-Intensive Agricultural Investment (FRILIA), underscores the government’s renewed push to attract sustainable private sector participation in the state’s agribusiness sector.
Designed to bring smallholder farmers into structured agricultural markets, the initiative follows the issuance of an Executive Order by the state government formally adopting the FRILIA framework in line with international best practices on responsible land governance, community inclusion and investor protection.
The Director-General of the Katsina State Investment Promotion Agency (KIPA), Ibrahim Tukur Jikamshi, who revealed this Tuesday while briefing some journalists in Katsina, said the state government has constituted the FRILIA steering and technical committees to ensure its hitch-free operation.
He explained that the project would create employment opportunities, facilitate skills and technology transfer, improve market access for farmers and integrate local producers into the agricultural value chain through a structured out-grower arrangement.
He said the state government has conducted a series of capacity-building workshops with key stakeholders, including traditional leaders, to strengthen institutional preparedness for land-intensive agricultural investments, inclusive economic growth and responsible land governance.
As part of measures to promote transparency and accountability, Jikamshi added that a Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) with clearly defined terms of reference has also been established to address community-related concerns promptly.
Jikamshi said: “The Government of Katsina State has announced a pilot investment with private sector investors for the establishment of an agro-allied processing facility incorporating an integrated out-grower to be located in Tashar Bala Village, Katsina State.
“This announcement follows the issuance of an Executive Order by the Katsina State Government adopting the Framework for Responsible and Inclusive Land-Intensive Agricultural Investment (FRILIA) in line with global best practices on responsible investment, land governance and community inclusion.
“The pilot project underscores Katsina State’s commitment to responsible land governance, inclusive economic growth, and enhanced investor confidence, and is expected to serve as a scalable model for sustainable agricultural investments across the state.”
He, however, said the initiative builds on commitments made during the Katsina State Economic and Investment Summit, where the government disclosed a N3.5 billion investment by TORQ Agro Allied for an ultra-modern poultry farm with hatchery facilities, “construction of which has already commenced.”
He reiterated that the TORQ Agro Allied has expanded its footprint in the state by committing $11 million to the establishment of a soybeans aggregation, collection and processing centre supported by an organised out-grower sourcing system embedded within the principles of the FRILIA framework.
He further said Al-Hikima Fertilizer and Chemicals Nigeria Limited is investing an initial N1 billion in fertilizer and agro-chemical production, supply, and seed multiplication at the project site, with plans to scale up the investment to N5 billion in subsequent years.
According to the KIPA boss, the investment is expected to improve input availability, boost agricultural productivity and deepen value-chain development across Katsina state.
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