The resuscitated Badeggi Rice Mill in Niger State has the capacity to produce 10 000 metric tonnes of processed rice, Leadership newspaper reports.

Alhaji Shehu Adamu Dikko, managing director of Deanshanger, the company managing the mill, made this statement yesterday during a visit to the state governor.

According to Dikko, his company has devised a five year plan which will see a complete overhaul of the mill.

Deanshanger, in partnership with First Bank of Nigeria, has invested N800 million (US$5.5 million) in the facility as part of the take-off stage.

Dikko said that by 2013 it is expected that the mill will have a minimum capacity of 500 000 metric tonnes and that around N9.13 billion ($62 million) gross investment will be needed for this.

The company has also already employed 30 people from the host community as part of its social responsibility.