The Japanese Government, in partnership with the Lift Above Poverty Organisation, has commissioned a Pineapple Juice Processing Factory in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State, as part of a strategic effort to drive agricultural value addition, reduce post-harvest losses, and boost rural livelihoods.
The factory, sited at Ukpenu-Emuhi community in Ekpoma, was executed under Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Project, further strengthening development cooperation between Japan and Nigeria.
Speaking virtually at the commissioning ceremony on Friday, Japan’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Suzuki Hideo, described the project as a symbol of shared commitment to human security and inclusive economic growth.
Suzuki said the facility marked a decisive shift from the export of raw agricultural produce to local processing, noting that it would significantly reduce post-harvest losses while stimulating the rural economy.
He explained that the factory would serve as a ready market for at least 500 pineapple farmers, enabling increased production, improved productivity, and better household incomes.
The ambassador said an estimated 2,000 farm labourers, as well as more than 2,000 wholesalers and retailers, would benefit from expanded economic activities along the value chain.
Suzuki further noted that Ekpoma’s growing population, supported by institutions such as Ambrose Alli University, provided a sustainable market for the factory’s output. The Japanese envoy stressed that the facility would also function as a training and research centre, offering industrial exposure to over 1,000 students.
He disclosed that the plant would create direct employment opportunities, support local input suppliers, and strengthen skills development through hands-on industrial training.
Commissioning the project, Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, said the Japan-funded, LAPO-executed factory aligned with the state’s agricultural industrialisation and economic diversification agenda.
Okpebholo, who was represented at the event by the Commissioner for Transport, Saturday Idehen, said the project would generate jobs, empower youths and women, and expand Edo State’s agro-industrial footprint under the SHINE Agenda.
He urged farmers to take advantage of the facility by increasing production and adopting improved farming techniques, assuring them of sustained government support.
In her address, LAPO President, Barrister Faith Negbe Osazuwa-Ojo, said the initiative was conceived to address years of pineapple wastage caused by the absence of processing facilities in the area.
She explained that Japan’s support transformed the challenge into a sustainable enterprise capable of promoting food security, decent work, and community development.
Osazuwa-Ojo added that the factory would be community-owned, a model designed to ensure sustainability through local management and reinvestment of profits.
The LAPO President, represented at the ceremony by Dr Honestus Ayo Obadiora, Executive Vice President, Health and Social Development, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to capacity building, environmental sustainability, and inclusive participation, particularly for women and youths.
