Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says over 200 truckloads of yam go out of Zaki Biam International Yam Market, Benue, every week.
Osinbajo disclosed this on Tuesday in Zaki Biam, Ukum Local Government Area of Benue, during an online inauguration of the newly-reconstructed Zaki-Biam International Yam Market and Yam Storage Facility.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)) gathered that the storage facility had the capacity of storing over 200,000 yams.
The vice president said that over 70 per cent of yams consumed in the country were cultivated by farmers in Ukum local government area of the state.
He assured Benue people that all the communities that were ravaged during the farmers/herders crisis would be rebuilt as earlier pledged by the Federal Government.
The vice president said that plans were still in the pipeline to rehabilitate all the ravaged communities across the country.
He commended Gov. Samuel Ortom for his supportive role and commitment to the project.
Earlier, Ortom said the Government and people of the state were grateful to Osinbajo and the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari for making the project a reality.
“May I also place on record that as Chairman of the National Economic Council, you have made remarkable efforts toward reshaping the economy of the country.
“The programmes initiated under your leadership as chairman of the council are geared toward diversifying the economy.
“They are targeted at empowering Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and enabling Nigerians to survive economically during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic,” he said.
He advised the federal government to take on the entire agriculture value chain during its green revolution programme.
“The process should take off from land preparation to improved seedlings, mechanised farming to harvesting and storage to processing and marketing.
“This alone can provide millions of jobs to our teeming youths.
“We equally appreciate the federal government for the relative peace and security in Benue and the North Central geo-political zone through the activities of Operation Whirl Stroke and other security outfits.
“We are worried about the resurgence of armed herdsmen attacks on Benue people, especially in rural areas. Between April and June this year, over 60 Benue people have been killed by herdsmen attacks across the state,” he said.
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