For decades, Taraku Mills stood as a reminder of the gap between Benue’s agricultural potential and its industrial capacity. That picture is now beginning to change, with the long-dormant factory undergoing a revival that could reconnect farmers to large-scale processing and create more than 2,000 direct and indirect jobs.
Located in Taraku village, the facility is being brought back into operation after remaining moribund since the mid-1990s. Its restoration under the administration of Governor Hyacinth Alia is expected to give Benue’s agricultural economy a stronger industrial foundation by creating a major outlet for crops produced within the state and stimulating businesses around the factory.
James Twenge, the plant manager, said the mills have the capacity to process 72,000 metric tonnes of maize every year, while the animal feed division can produce up to 172,300 metric tonnes annually for different types of animals.
The facility’s oil-processing operations add another layer to its industrial potential. One mechanical press production line can process 200 metric tonnes of seeds per day, while the flaking section has an annual processing capacity of 78,000 metric tonnes of seeds. The solvent extraction plant, meanwhile, can process 320 metric tonnes of seeds per day.
With the various divisions operating together, Taraku Mills could become an important link between agricultural production and industrial processing in Benue. Instead of crops leaving farms without significant local processing, the revived facility provides the infrastructure to convert agricultural raw materials into finished and intermediate products within the state.
Twenge said products from the factory could begin leaving the facility within two months, subject to the progress of the ongoing preparations.
The journey back to production, however, has involved more than repairing machinery. It has also highlighted the role of the Taraku community, whose residents helped preserve the facility during years when it was no longer operational.
Tersoo, who spoke on Saturday during an inspection of the mills by journalists and the presidential media team, said the people living around the factory took responsibility for protecting the abandoned facility and its equipment.
“They came together and said that they would guide this factory, and they did that jealously. No pin got missing in this factory until the governor came,” he said.
That community effort helped protect an industrial asset that had been inactive for years, creating an opportunity for the present administration to undertake its rehabilitation rather than allow the facility to disappear completely from Benue’s economic landscape.
Tersoo recalled that Taraku Mills was originally established during the administration of the late Aper Aku, Benue’s first civilian governor. At the time, the factory produced soybean oil and other products before its operations eventually collapsed in the mid-1990s.
According to Tersoo, the need to restore the factory became apparent when Alia assumed office as governor.
“When father Alia came up as the governor of Benue state, he saw that there was a need to revamp this company. And so, the company has been revamped,” he said.
The machinery has since been serviced and is currently undergoing test runs as the facility moves towards renewed operations.
For a state whose economy is strongly rooted in agriculture, a functioning processing plant can create demand for farmers’ produce while generating opportunities for transporters, traders, suppliers, livestock operators and other businesses that depend on agricultural activity.
The employment potential is equally significant. Twenge estimates that more than 2,000 jobs, both direct and indirect, could be created when the mills attain full production.
Taraku Mills revival offers Benue an opportunity to strengthen the connection between what its farmers produce and what its industries can process, while putting an important piece of the state’s industrial history back to work.
If the ongoing test runs lead to full production as planned, a factory that once fell into decades of inactivity could once again become a major engine for employment, agricultural processing and commercial activity in Benue.
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