In an effort to boost employment and create more revenue, the federal government has approved the establishment of a Food Processing Equipment and Machinery Development Institute (FOPEMDI) in Ekiti.
The Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Khalil Halilu confirmed this approval in a letter addressed to Governor Biodun Oyebanji on Friday.
Khalil, in the letter, also requested the state government’s commitment to basic facilities including land for a permanent site and a temporary site for the immediate launch of the Institute.
In a statement released on Sunday, the Ekiti State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Ebenezer Boluwade expressed delight in the development, noting that the state has received several interventions from the federal government in the last two weeks towards the development of the agriculture sector.
According to him, this was possible through what he described as the state government’s diligent resourcefulness and commitment to shared prosperity.
While praising the federal government under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu for this approval, Boluwade said, “the interventions of the FG is a reflection of the President’s concern for the development of the state and the priority given to agricultural development in the State.”
The commissioner explained that this establishment would help address the challenges in the sector and also unlock the state’s immense potential in the agriculture industry.
He said the institute would produce modern agricultural processing equipment for farmers to process and package food products for the market.
