Dipo Olowookere
By Dipo Olowookere
The management of Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC has called on federal government to render assistance to the company in its area of operations so as continue to grow the nation’s economy, particularly through agriculture by creating a value chain of products, industry and consumers.
Managing Director of the flour milling firm, Mr John Coumantaros, made this appeal last Friday at a meeting in Abuja with the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Adeniyi Adebayo.
According to Mr Coumantaros, Flour Mills needs government support in its businesses covering production of grains, fat and oil, sweeteners, starches, and proteins.
He noted that the firm had various services and products to offer to Nigeria, given its large population, saying Flour Mills currently employed no fewer than 12,000 Nigerians in its factories across nine states of the federation.
In his remarks, the Minister assured the company all the necessary supports in its ongoing industrial expansion and other businesses, adding that government would provide an enabling environment for projects capable of creating jobs for Nigerians so as to continue to encourage private investors and business owners in the country.
Mr Adebayo said the current government had renewed its resolve to fully diversify the economy to non-oil income generation through the private players like the Flour Mills PLC, saying that government would continue to invest huge capital into infrastructure development to create enabling environment for both foreign and local investors.
He called on other large-scale firms and MSMEs to emulate what the company was doing in the area of agro-business to help government achieve its dream of industrialisation and food security.
