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European Marketing Research Centre Delegation Visits Nasarawa
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Governor Abdullahi Adamu has said Nasarawa state was in a dire need for development, having been created only eight years ago. He stated this while receiving a delegation of the European Marketing Research Centre (EMRC), who together with the Nigerian Ambassador to Hungary, brought a group of investors to meet with the Governor. 
The Governor said the state was composed of a largely agrarian population whose major economic activity will be enhanced if there are large scale investments in agriculture. He said that farmers in the state were engaged in the production of grains, tubers, vegetables, citrus and fruits. These areas are open for investments from international groups and institutions which have the capacity for large scale investments. This is an imperative, because about 50% of annual food production is wasted due to lack of processing facilities.
Governor Adamu told the delegation that the state had put in place incentives to make investments very profitable. These incentives include land allocations for tenures of up to 75years, tax reliefs and infrastructure development. He therefore called on the investors to feel free to partner with the state towards opening up the agricultural potential of the state to markets outside the country.
The leader of the delegation, Idit Miller, Vice President and Managing Director of EMRC, had earlier briefed the governor on the mission of the team, stating that they had the capacity for large scale investments in the agricultural sector. She said the delegation was also interested in partnering with small scale farmers to process edible oil, fresh fruits and vegetables. The team she stated was made up of investors from west and east Europe who have the capacity to assist government in addressing the waste of agricultural produce.
After extensive discussions, the team agreed that a Nasarawa forum will be held in Brussels next year and a group of governors will be consulted to partner in the food processing business.
The deputy governor of Nasarawa state, Labaran Maku was part of the government delegation while messers Dragan Subasic, Arie Taitler, M. Ostrovsky and Iyke Okolo were part of the EMRC delegation. The Nigerian Ambassador to Hungary, Gershon Guyit led the delegation.
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