An attempt by the Federal Government to consolidate on the gains recorded in the agricultural sector in the last couple of years through the establishment of Staple Crop Processing Zones in different parts of the country may have run into stormy weather.
A Staple Crop Processing Zone is an area where a mix of commercial and small-holder farmers are clustered for one or more crops and located close enough to existing or potential processing plants and markets, such that each crop value chain and the production of end-products can be optimised.
While applauding the decision to set up the zones, town planners in the country are, however, not pleased that a foreign firm allegedly not registered in the country has been given the nod to prepare master plans for the SCPZs, with indigenous professionals only allowed to handle a negligible part of the job.
In order to ensure that the project was executed perfectly, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development engaged the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation in December 2012 to coordinate the process of bringing together relevant international and national experts to develop concise, workable and widely acceptable master plans for the zones.
Our correspondent gathered that an Indian company, Mahindra Consulting Engineers Limited, was engaged to prepare master plans for six Staple Crop Processing Zones in different parts of the country.
The ministry has already secured six sites for the development of the SCPZs out of the intended 15. These include Kadawa in Kano State for rice, sorghum and tomato; Agbadu, Kogi State, for cassava; and Badeggi in Niger State for rice.
Others are Ketu, Lagos for aquaculture (fish farming); Omor in Anambra State and Adani in Enugu State for rice production; and Okorolo in Rivers State for aquaculture.
Indigenous consulting town planning firms were later brought in to work with the foreign firm, but this has not gone down well with the local planners.
In a letter of protest dated July 22, 2013 and addressed to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, the National President, Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, Mr. Steve Onu; and President, Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria, Mr. Moses Ogunleye, said the appointment of the Mahindra was against the laws of the country.
They said, "As laudable as the project is, the intention of the ministry to turn Nigerian experts to mere data collectors, while the master plan and design of the Staple Crop Processing Zones are to be handled by an Indian engineering firm, Mahindra Consulting Engineers Limited, is unacceptable and retrogressive.
"By various Nigerian laws, including the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990, the Town Planners Registration Act, 1988; and the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria Act, 1970, only firms or companies registered to practise either town planning or engineering in Nigeria can carry out such works.
"We are aware that Mahindra is not registered by either TOPREC or COREN. Thus, it cannot be engaged to carry out either town planning or engineering services in Nigeria.
"We believe that the scope of services enunciated for the project can be accomplished by Nigerian town planners. Indeed, consultant town planners in Nigeria have handled more complex projects for the federal and state governments as well as private sector organisations. For the records, TOPREC has over 250 registered firms on its register."
Onu and Ogunleye urged the Federal Government to halt Mahindra as the consultant that would prepare the master plans for the six SCPZs and instead engage Nigerian consultants, adding that the global best practice was for the team that collected data for a project should also be involved in the review, analysis, evaluation, scenario building and plan preparation.
When contacted, an aid to the minister, who pleaded not to be named because he was not authorised to speak on the subject, faulted the position of the town planners, saying the project was essentially about agriculture and that it would not involve planning at the initial stage but towards the end.
The aide said the ministry did not appoint Mahindra but that UNIDO actually brought the firm into the project, having worked with it on similar projects in the past.
