In Benue, Residents Anticipate BIPC Bread & Beer
The Benue Investment and Property Company, BIPC, is set to build an N800 million brewery in Makurdi to produce its beer brand at the end of the year while its packaged water and bread will be in the market by the end of May.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the company, Dr. Raymond Asemakaha made this known shortly after an inspection tour of ongoing work at the sites of the brewery, bakery and water factory in parts of Makurdi.
He said the company was going into a beer production to enable the state also reap from the over 850 million other beer firms rake from sales in the state monthly.
He said “when we came in, we discovered that, beer consumption in the state is within the range of 850 million and 870 million per month. In December alone, the sale hit one billion naira.
“So we want to see how we can retain large percentage of the cash flow within the system because the people in this business are taking our money out of Benue since no beer producing factory is in the state.
So we resolved to flout a new company that would produce a high quality brand that would help us retain the large percentage of the resources that leave the state and also offer employment opportunities to our teeming youths.
“And we intend to do 180,000 bottles per day, I must state that, we are not going into competition with any firm, we only want to check a capital flight with a high quality product.
“We hope to commence production by the first week of December. We already intend to give farmers seedlings to produce our raw materials and by so doing encourage backward integration. After which we off take the products from the farmers.”
Dr. Asemakaha explained that it would cost his company about 800 million naira to set up the brewery saying, the twenty three local government areas of the state would be encouraged to own 23 percent of the shares while Benue indigenes would be advised to acquire shares in the factory “because we want our people to own businesses.”
On the water factory and bakery, the Managing Director said the two companies which were sited within the same premises at Tse Ayu, along George Akume way would cost the sum of N200 million assuring that they would be completed and commission on May 27, 2024.
In a chat with elder statesman Akumbur Tyowua, he said the setting up of a brewery is a lucrative business that will boost the internally generated revenue of the state. He said it will also create a lot of jobs for the people of the state.
Reacting to the development, Pastor Philip Odachi of Jesus kingdom Assembly expressed disappointment about building a beer brewery in the state, he said already Benue people are been seeing as the highest alcoholic consumers in Nigeria. The clergy said there are so many things that the government can invest in to boost its revenue and reduce unemployment.
Also reacting, Comrade Kelvin Fater applauded the Managing Director of BIPC. He appealed to the company to set a fair price so that lovers of alcohol can afford. He said it will also create job opportunities for the people of the State.
