By Nneka Nwogwugwu
The Bayelsa state government has completed the construction of a 60-metric tonnes cassava starch factory at Ebedebiri town in the Sagbama local government area of the state.
Governor Douye Diri, disclosed this on Sunday during an inspection tour of the factory, urged Bayelsans to engage in massive cassava cultivation to enable the factory meet its production capacity.
He expressed satisfaction with the level of work done, but lamented that the present level of cassava production in the state was not enough for it to produce at full capacity.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Diri, who said the factory would soon be inaugurated, therefore, called on the people to engage in cassava cultivation, to enable them also improve on their incomes.
“What we are producing now will not be enough for the factory. So, I call on all Bayelsans to go into massive production of cassava, being the main raw material for the factory.
“All the necessary tools and machines are here. We are talking about commercial farming, so you can make money,” he said.
Diri commended his predecessor, Sen. Seriake Dickson, for initiating the project aimed at producing starch for industrial purposes, while commending the host community for securing the plant against vandalism.