Buhari inaugurates 1st made-in-Nigeria rice mill

President Muhammadu Buhari has inaugurated a state-of-the-art rice mill at Amarawa Village in Gezawa Local Government Area of Kano State in a bid to demonstrate his support for local rice production and promote the country’s quest for self-sufficiency in the production of Nigeria’s number one staple food item.

 

L-R: Governor Mohammed Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa State, President Muhammadu Buhari and Mr. Sriram Venkateswaran, Chairman, FullMark Group during the inauguration of the multi-million naira state-of-the-art Amarawa Rice Mill located at Amarawa Village, Gezawa Local Government Area of Kano State recently

Owned and operated by Amarava Agro Processors Limited, a subsidiary of Fullmark Group, the 288 metric tonnes per day capacity Amarawa rice mill is the first rice mill in the country that has almost 100 percent local content as all fabrications and installations were made in Kano.

Speaking during the inauguration of the factory as part of activities marking his official visit to Kano State recently, President Buhari noted that the rice mill is in line with the drive by his government to reduce importation of rice and encourage local farmers and investors.

He explained that investments in rice mills would encourage and boost the confidence of local rice farmers, adding that the development is a right step in the right direction in moving Nigeria closer to bringing an end to importation of rice while improving food security across the country.

He said “Nigeria’s continued dependence on rice importation has put a strain on the economy as well as the nation’s food flow as a substantial amount of our foreign exchange goes into rice importation yearly. With this mill in operation, Nigeria would continue to progress towards food self-sufficiency.”

Also speaking at the event, Mr. Sriram Venkateswaran, Chairman of Fullmark Group, said the project was conceived, designed, manufactured and executed in Kano.

Mr. Sriram Venkateswaran, Chairman, FullMark Group; HRH Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II, Emir of Kano, and Mr. Shri B.N Reddy, Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria during the inauguration of the multi-million naira state-of-the-art Amarawa Rice Mill located at Amarawa Village, in Gezawa Local Government Area of Kano State recently

Venkateswaran disclosed that Amarawa Agro Processors Limited is currently producing 250 metric tonnes per day from the mill but has the capacity to produce up to 288 metric tonnes of top quality parboiled rice per day when fully operational. He added that “Our rice is best in class in terms of quality which is comparable to the best available anywhere in the world and is often compared to Thai rice.”

According to him, the Amarawa Agro Processors Limited Rice Mill is the first to be fully equipped with the capacity to convert waste to energy.

“We use the steam from the mill to drive steam turbines which generates about 500 KVA of electricity which is used in powering the factory and this is why we say that at Amarawa, we believe in producing more and conserving more” he said.

He commended President Buhari’s led Government for its sustained efforts in empowering farmers and enriching the nation through well thought-out agricultural developmental policies. He assured the President that the company would continue to support the effort of the government to enhance and stabilize food production in the country.

Alhaji Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Governor of Kano State, expressed delight at the inauguration of the rice mill and applauded the management of the company for selecting Kano for such a strategic agriculture project.