Nigeria: Price of Rice Should Make Country Produce for Export - Minister
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Vanguard (Lagos)
18 July 2008
Posted to the web 18 July 2008
Daniel Gumm
Lagos
MINISTER of Agriculture and Water Resources, Dr. Sayyadi Ruma has said in Abuja that high price of rice was an opportunity for Nigeria to become a major player in rice production and export to the African continent, pointing out that Nigeria could produce enough rice, but the problem "is that of the production of quality rice."
The minister made the assertion at a Launch and Public Presentation of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) Rice Network in Abuja.
The minister, who spoke through the Executive Director, National Food Reserve Agency, Dr. Salisu Ingawa, however, lamented that "if the amount expended on the importation were channelled into production capacity of rice production, Nigeria as a country would have been able to feed not only West Africa, but the entire African continent."
The NESG Rice Network is aimed at creating awareness on the purpose and future work of the network to key target groups in the private and public sectors and bringing together all stakeholders in the rice value chain geared towards tackling through dialogue and manual activities, the myriad of problems and constraints hampering their interests in order to make rice sector activities more competitive, profitable and sustainable to all members and enhance food security for Nigerians in general.
Dr. Ruma said, the Federal Government was prepared to support the implementation of the approved document, advising members of the network to sensitise and introduce other programmes that would enhance the production of quality rice in the country.
He said the Federal Government spent a total of $3 billion (N340 billion) on the importation of rice and wheat annually. The Executive Director, National Food Reserve Agency, Dr. Salisu Ingawa, later launched the NESG Rice Network document.
The event brought together Alhajji Abubakar Wodi (Chairman, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, RIFAN), Chairman, NESG Agriculture and Food Security Policy Commission, Mr. Emmanuel Ijewere, Mr. Don Brown, Programme Manager, PrOpCom and Mr. Akin Niyi Jones, member of the Agriculture Committee in the House of Representatives, who represented the Chairman, House Committee on Agriculture.
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Others were the commissioners of agriculture and natural resources of both Jigawa and Kebbi states, Alhaji Nasidi Ali and Alhaji Ibrahim A. Gwandu, amongst other federal and state dignitaries.
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