Governor Peter Mbah has urged breweries to, as part of its corporate social responsibilities, patronise smallholder farmers in Enugu while sourcing raw materials.

Mr Mbah made the call when the top management team of Ama Brewery, Enugu, paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House, Enugu, on Thursday.

The governor, who noted that the state’s factory productivity in sorghum was the best in the country, given the fertile soil of Enugu, appealed to the company to buy the product from farmers in the state to promote local content.

He said, “I don’t see any reason why you cannot be procuring your sorghum from our farmers here. Given your expertise in that space, invest in some of our smallholder farmers, even the large-scale farmers.

“And we will provide you with a significant quantity of sorghum if we were deliberate about it, and it is going to cut your cost of transportation and contribute significantly to your corporate social responsibility within the communities.

“We are going to look forward to having that discussion to see how we can work together to accomplish that for our common goals.”

Mr Mbah added that his administration had taken steps to intervene in some of the critical infrastructure in the state as they would enable the ease of doing business and further de-risk investment.

He stated that the government was keen on making Enugu the destination for investment and businesses, ensuring the state was open to welcoming more investors.

He said, “I have always made it known to the people out there that Enugu is the premier destination for investments. If we can do it for Nigeria breweries here, we can also do it for other investors.

“What you are doing here today should send a very strong signal to the world out there that Enugu is not only ready for business but will go the extra mile to make sure we help you thrive, shield you from the tension in terms of the provision of security.

“We want to make sure that you are secure in operating your business and living here in Enugu state.”

The governor, however, called on other potential investors to stop sitting on the fence as Enugu, under his administration, had received adequate security and other incentives to ensure businesses thrive and boost returns on investment.

Earlier, the manager of Ama Brewery, Enugu, Peter Ani, extolled Mr Mbah for creating the right environment for businesses in the state through his recent intervention on the state of roads and other infrastructure across the state.

He said the company had been enjoying the support of the government and other stakeholders since its establishment in the state in 1993.

He expressed gratitude for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the road network at the 9th Mile, Udi-Ezeagu, and Udi-Makurdi axis initiated by the government, pledging that they would continue to impact their stakeholders positively.

(NAN)