Federal Government To Stop Rice IMPORTATION By 2017

The Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh has said Nigeria will stop the importation of rice next year.

Ogbeh said this at a joint Anchor Borrowers rice farm inspection with the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Mr. Godwin Emefiele and the Governor of Niger State, Alh Abubakar Bello, at Sunti, Lavun Local Government Area of Niger State.

“The federal government’s massive rice production programme, has made huge impacts on the nation’s rice supply and will therefore end rice importation into the country as from next year,” he said.

Ogbeh also said the Federal Government was planning on distributing improved seedlings to farmers.

CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele while speaking said the CBN was convinced that Nigeria can achieve its objectives of putting a total barrier on food importation.

“We were convinced at the CBN that the nation was wasting foreign exchange in the importation of food items that we can conveniently produce at home. That was why we chose specific crops such as rice, wheat, soya beans and cotton as the immediate target of the programme.

“The results are there for all to see that indeed, the decision to grow the food that we eat in the country makes a great economic sense. By growing our food at home, rather than import them, we create jobs for our people, create wealth and conserve foreign exchange for other uses”, he said.