Professor Etok Ekanem, the State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resource said on Monday in Uyo, capital of Akwa Ibom State, that the company had started recruiting staff for the project.

Nigeria with vast arable land currently imports 70 per cent of its rice consumption.

"Necessary equipment are on the ground for large scale commercial production and processing of rice.

"There are no financial obligations on the part of the government on the project.

"Our commitments are limited to the Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) which we signed with the company in August 2009 and the provision of land and security,’’ Ekanem said.

He added that Agritech would start off with seed multiplication in Uruan, Oruk, Anam and Ibiono Ibom local government areas on about 10,000 hectares of land.

Dr Sample Ibemerum, Group Operations Director of the Agritech Nigeria, described Vietnam as the “second largest rice producing country in the world’’.

The Akwa Ibom project, he said, would create 4,000 jobs.

-APA