Nigeria targets 7m tonnes rice production in 2018

Nigeria is inching closer to achieving self-sufficiency in rice production as the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration targets seven million tonnes production of the commodity in 2018, Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, has said.
 
Rice Mill
Mohammed who disclosed this recently in Abuja, said rice demand in the country as at 2015 stood at 6.3 million tones, adding that imports dropped from 644,131 tonnes in 2015 to about 21,000 tonnes in 2017 as a result of the success recorded by the administration in local rice production.

The minister said the interest being shown by some investors from Thailand in establishing rice milling plants in the country would not have been possible a few years ago when Nigeria was not considered a top rice producing country.

The minister noted that the massive increase recorded in volume of rice produced across the country was largely due to a successful implementation of the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

He said “the increased rice production had, in turn, led to establishment of rice mills, including the 120,000-tonne WACOT Mill in Kebbi and the one-million-tonne Dangote Rice Mill.”

Mohammed said it had been established as fact that “locally-produced rice is safer, tastier and healthier.”  He explained that the market price of locally-produced rice would eventually come down as production increases.


He added that importing rice is currently cheaper but that government would not allow Nigeria to become a dumping ground for imported and expired rice, saying the government would never leave its food security at the mercy of other countries.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Agric forum to encourage greater technology use by women

Image
Organizers of a one-day agricultural forum for women in Benin, the Edo State capital, have said the event will focus on increasing the awareness of available agricultural and outreach technologies for women in agriculture. The forum which will be anchored by Market Development Programme in the Niger Delta (MADE) with funding from UK Aid, is collaborating with Markets II, funded by USAID and Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta, PIND and the Edo State Cooperative Farmers’ Agency is being held for womenas part of activities to mark this year’s International Women’s Day. Mr. Fidelis Ekom, MADE’s Communications and Advocacy Manager, in a statement at the weekend said the forum also seeks to facilitate mindset change for women in the adoption of modern technologies and to facilitate engagement between women in agriculture and relevant value chain actors. Ekom said the forum will bring together women farmers in aquaculture, cassava, palm oil, poultry, hon
Read more

7 FEPSAN members to produce 1m tonnes under Presidential Fertiliser Initiative

Image
Seven active blending companies within the Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN) have been revived and are among the 1st of five batches that would produce 1 million tonnes of fertiliser under the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative, Thomas Etuh, President of FEPSAN has said. Etuh who disclosed this while speaking on Presidential Fertiliser Initiative noted that most of the plants owned by FEPSAN members are being revived after being dormant for over a decade. He expressed the hope that more plants would join the initiative before the end of April “Some of the blending plants which have already been supplied with raw materials including phosphate from Morocco and are blending include Fertiliser and Chemicals Ltd, Kaduna, producing 300,000 metric tonnes; Al-Yuma Fertilizer Company (300,000 metric tonnes) in Madobi-Kano; Kano Agricultural Supply Company, supplying 15 trailers daily and Golden Fertiliser based in Lagos. “Others blending plants ha
Read more

Over 100 exhibitors from 18 countries register for agrofood Nigeria 2017

Image
Fairtrade, the German trade fair specialist organisation, has said more than 100 exhibitors from 18 countries have confirmed their participation at the agrofood Nigeria, making it a record participation. The event which will take place from 28 to 30 March 2017 at the Landmark Centre in Lagos has attracted exhibitors from Austria, Benin, China, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Italy, Kenya, Netherlands, Nigeria, Poland, South Africa, Taiwan, Togo, Turkey and the United Kingdom. agrofood Nigeria consists of the following exhibition topics: Agriculture, Process & Packaging, Food Ingredients, Food & Drinks and Foodservice Equipment. “For the third year, the French agrofood association adepta leads a delegation of French companies to agrofood Nigeria”, said Aude Roelly, Area Sales Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa, adepta. “From farm to fork, companies specialized into equipment and know-how for agriculture, livestock, food processing and packaging offer their
Read more