C/River: Ayade Excited By Integrated Cocoa Processing Plant

Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State has expressed satisfaction with the level of equipment installation at the nation’s premier Integrated cocoa processing factory located in Ikom Local Government Area of the state.  

Ayade said installation of the equipment in the plant was 98 per cent completed and that it would soon be ready for commissioning.

The governor made the disclosure during an inspection tour of industries under construction in the Northern Senatorial District of the state, shortly after his inauguration. 

Speaking to newsmen immediately after inspecting the automated 30,000 metric tons capacity cocoa processing factory,  Ayade quipped: “I am very happy and quite impressed with  the progress of work done by the contractors and the consultants. It is obvious that Cross River State is again taking the country by storm by installing the first automated and integrated cocoa processing factory that goes from cocoa beans to chocolate bars.”

According to the governor “The work done so far indicates about 98 percent completion and as you see, this plant is ready for commissioning. Perfectly in order, fully digital, fully automated and operated by not just Nigerians but Cross Riverians with requisite qualifications in the area of food processing, food technology and agro-engineering.”

Voicing his satisfaction with what has so far been accomplished at the plant, Ayade said: “Now I can proudly say that we are ready for export to attract the anticipated dollars. We can also boldly say, goodbye to when we used to buy cocoa dried on tarred roads. Goodbye to when the flavours of our cocoa was lost occasioned by wrong processing. Today, there is an ultramodern, 21st century, latest technology cocoa processing plant that will retain and still maintain the structural integrity, biochemical and chemical composition of our cocoa.”

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