The Federal Government has put in place procedures to prevent Nigeria from becoming a rice dumping ground, as it insists it is not against the importation of the grain.
This was disclosed by the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Sabo Nanono On Monday at the sixth Feed Nigeria Summit.
According to the minister, the prohibition has benefited the country by fostering the growth of local companies and empowering local farmers.
He said “We are not opposed to the importation of rice but protecting the country from being a dumping ground of rice. Togo, Niger and Benin do not produce rice but the products are from China, India and Thailand. At the onset of the directive, people were shouting that we are going to put Nigerians in hunger but if we are serious, four states can produce what we eat. Not only that, in Kano, there are no less than 40 rice milling companies with a capacity of 100 to 400 tons per day which has led to employment,”.
Nanono also stated that through the National Agricultural Transformation and Innovation Plan, the federal government has continued to implement innovative measures to aid the development of the agricultural sector and improve the value chain.
What you should know
- It would be recalled that in 2019, the Federal Government announced the closure of Nigeria’s land borders to restrict the massive illegal importation of rice and other commodities into Nigeria.
- Over a year after the borders were shut, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the immediate reopening of four of Nigeria’s land borders.
