Hon. Hussaini Mohammed Jallo championed a motion in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, to establish a mega Agricultural Processing and Manufacturing Industrial Hub at Farakwai-Zangon Aya in Igabi Federal Constituency. This hub could potentially transform Kaduna State’s agricultural sector and tackle the devastating 60% annual post-harvest losses plaguing local farmers.
The motion highlights the stark irony of the constituency’s massive agricultural output. Despite producing vast quantities of maize, rice, tomatoes, ginger, soybeans, and livestock, local communities—including Igabi, Gadan Gayan, Birnin Yero, Kerawa, and Farakwai–Zangon Aya—lose over half of their harvests annually due to a critical lack of storage and processing facilities. This forcing farmers to sell their raw produce at giveaway prices during gluts, while the region ironically continues to import processed foods.
Speaking on the floor of the House, Hon. Jallo emphasized that shifting Igabi from a mere raw-material base to a value-addition powerhouse will directly combat rural poverty, create thousands of jobs for youth and women, and drastically reduce rural-urban migration and local insecurity.
“Establishing this agro-processing hub along the strategic Kaduna-Zaria corridor—with its seamless access to rail, road networks, and the Kaduna Inland Dry Port—will not only secure the livelihoods of our farmers but will position Kaduna State as a vanguard of Nigeria’s food security and export earnings” .
The proposed industrial hub aligns directly with the Federal Government’s National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP), the Presidential Initiative on Food Security, and the Kaduna State Economic Development Plan.
To ensure the rapid realization of this project, the House of Representatives officially resolved to:
- Urge the Federal Ministries of Agriculture and Food Security, and Industry, Trade and Investment to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study within ninety (90) days and include the hub in the 2027 Budget estimate under the Agricultural Industrialization Fund. The hub will focus on specialized production lines for rice milling, tomato paste, maize flour, soybeans, millet, and livestock feed.
- Urge the Bank of Agriculture (BOA), Bank of Industry (BOI), and NIRSAL to design specialized, low-interest credit schemes specifically tailored for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and cooperatives operating within the hub.
- Urge the Federal Ministry of Power and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to prioritize and deploy a dedicated power infrastructure to the Farakwai–Zangon Aya site to guarantee uninterrupted, 24-hour industrial operations.
- Urge the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) to aggressively market the hub to private investors for Public-Private Partnership (PPP) co-funding and management.
The House Committee on Agricultural Production and Services is to monitor compliance and report back to the House within four (4) weeks for further legislative action.
