Bayelsa set to explore export of industrial starch, rice to Lesotho

The government of Lesotho and Bayelsa State have held talks over the export of industrial cassava starch and rice to the landlocked South African country Other areas of economic cooperation, according to Diri, include oil and gas, tourism, cold water development and textile warehousing. The bilateral meeting between the country’s Prime Minister, Rt. Hon Ntsokoane Matekane, and Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, took place over the weekend in Maseru, the capital city. Governor Diri, who recalled an earlier meeting with Matekane in Abuja, Nigeria, said Bayelsa was interested in exploring areas of economic benefits, particularly where it had comparative advantages. He said the state was rich in crude oil and very large gas deposits, in addition to having the longest coastline in the country that places it at a strategic position in the Gulf of Guinea.