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UK firm to set up agro-processing equipment plant

By on October 20, 2012

A United Kingdom-based firm, Alvan Blanch Development Company Limited, is to establish an agro processing equipment factory in the country.

According to the Managing Director, Mr Andrew Blanch, the move would help promote durable economic growth with the aim of building value-adding capacity within the agricultural sector.

Blanch stressed the need for the government to invest more in agro-processing to promote industrialisation, although he did not mention the location of the industry.

He said, for instance, if an investor opens a tomato processing plant, it will benefit a range of sectors in the value chain, like farmers and their employees, fertiliser and pesticide producers and many others.

According to him, if the tomatoes were simply sent overseas and processed there, a number of overflowing effects would be lost for domestic economy. He noted that, one of the obstacles to speedy growth in the food-processing sector is lack of agro processing infrastructure.

Blanch said more investment in agro processing facilities will generate decent and sustainable jobs.

According to Blanch, there are many promising opportunities for development in the Nigerian agro-processing sector, only milling can boost the capacity of staple food production, the organisation supports food-processing though its  use of standard machineries, which translates to decent job creation, he said.

The company is a major exporter of machines such as grain dryers with a network of over 90 countries in seven continents worldwide. The company has seen dramatic growth in sales to Nigeria and Russia

Blanch said the company exports machines such as its grain dryers to over 90 countries in all seven continents worldwide, with exports accounting for 80 per cent of total sales. He said the company has seen dramatic growth in sales to Nigeria and Russia – both offering huge prospects. Alvan Blanch Development Company Limited is an excellent manufacturer of post-harvest crop processing equipment, based in rural Wiltshire, he added.