French firm, SEMMARIS-Rungis International Market, is set to complement the efforts of the State Government of Oyo to bring the establishment of an international wholesale agribusiness market in the State to life.
This was made known by Debo Akande, Director-General of the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA) and Executive Adviser on Agribusiness to Governor ‘Seyi Makinde.
A delegation of the firm, including its Head of International Projects, Timothée Witkowski and Consultant-Market Specialist, Steve Allen, had paid a courtesy visit to the governor in Ibadan to make their plans to supplement the Makinde Administration’s efforts in the agribusiness sector known.
Speaking, Debo said the firm had toured the state for sightseeing of infrastructure built by the governor in the first tenure of his administration and the first year I’d his second tenure, the Fasola Agribusiness Industrial Hub as well as major markets in the State.
“It is a courtesy visit to His Excellency. The team came from what we call the Rungis-SEMMARIS Market in France. We have been there together with His Excellency in the past,” he stated.
“What they plan to do is to support us in establishing the International Wholesale Agribusiness Market in Oyo State, most likely in Ibadan.
“This is to complement a lot of work the governor has been doing in agribusiness in the state. This will be a major market for agribusiness and for farmers as well. They have gone round to see most of the facilities that have been built by the governor in the past five years. They have been to lseyin-Moniya road, Fasola Agribusiness Industrial Hub, Bodija Market, Akinyele Market and others to see what is currently on ground and what they can do to advance on that.
“What they have in France, which we are mirroring ourselves after, is a global market, the largest wholesale market globally and we have seen it. If you go there by 5 a.m, you won’t see anybody because most of the products in that place have been taken by trailers, moving to diverse places in Europe.
“So, we are anticipating that the growth of agribusiness and agriculture within our state would demand us to have that kind of a centralised system for the wholesale agricultural market. We are building and developing the foundation and when things grow as we are building agricultural industrial hubs in different locations including Fasola, Eruwa, Ijaye, this would be needed and would be required.”
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