By Terdue Atondu, Makurdi
The Benue Investment and Property Company Limited (BIPC) has announced that the long-abandoned Taraku Mills Company is nearing resumption of production, with about 90 per cent of the rehabilitation and overhaul works already completed.
The Group Managing Director of BIPC, Dr. Raymond Asemakaha, disclosed this when he led officials of the company on an inspection tour of the Taraku Mills facility to assess the progress of the rehabilitation work.
Asemakaha expressed satisfaction with the quality and pace of work at the plant, which had remained largely dormant for decades, saying BIPC was confident that production would resume soon.
He said the company had assembled competent professionals to oversee the rehabilitation and ensure that the facility returned to full operation.
According to him, BIPC would immediately provide one truckload of soybeans, following a request from the technical team, to facilitate the purification process and test-running of the production lines.
He said the target was to ensure that Taraku Mills’ soy oil would return to the market by the next festive season.
The BIPC GMD said the revival of the company was part of Governor Hyacinth Alia’s administration’s commitment to delivering tangible economic benefits to the people of Benue State.
He recalled that some people initially dismissed the rehabilitation project as a political campaign, but said the ongoing work had demonstrated the administration’s determination to revive the facility.
Asemakaha further disclosed that most of the equipment at Taraku Mills remained in good condition despite years of inactivity, noting that their cumulative utilisation since manufacture was less than five years.
He valued the assets of the company at over N70 billion, describing their revival as a major step towards unlocking Benue’s industrial and economic potential.
The GMD explained that the facility would initially be managed by a team of professionals before transitioning to a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.
He said the immediate priority was to establish a competent management team with the technical and managerial expertise required to operate the plant efficiently.
Asemakaha also said the host community would benefit from the revival through the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, including arrangements to facilitate the offtake of soybeans produced by local farmers.
He urged farmers across the state to increase soybean production, assuring them of a ready market for their produce at Taraku Mills.
The BIPC boss also encouraged farmers to embrace dry-season farming to increase soybean production and ensure a steady supply of raw materials to the mill throughout the year.
Speaking on the technical progress, the Plant Maintenance Manager, Engineer James Terngu Ikuve, said approximately 90 per cent of the rehabilitation and overhaul of the plant had been completed.
Ikuve said the facility was ready to commence production once adequate raw materials were supplied, adding that operations would begin in phases, starting with the purification process.
He expressed confidence that the revival of Taraku Mills would restore the facility to its former status and increase the availability of locally produced Golden Soy Oil in the Nigerian market.
Also speaking, the Lead Consultant, Saleh Mansur, confirmed that the company was technically ready to commence operations, having achieved more than 90 per cent completion of the overhaul.
Mansur said the management was awaiting the supply of raw materials to begin test-running the production lines.
He consequently called on farmers to increase the production and harvesting of soybeans and groundnuts to enable them supply the required raw materials to Taraku Mills as operations resume.
