Nigeria imports N1billion worth of rice daily - RUFIN

Nigeria imports N1billion worth of rice daily - RUFIN
BY PETER DURU

MAKURDI..........Nigeria has been reported to import over N1billion worth of rice daily to bridge the shortfall in the high demand for the staple food in the country.

Team Leader of the Rural Finance Institution Building Programme, RUFIN, Mr. Adamu Ibrahim made this known yesterday at a one day town hall meeting for rice farmers organized by the International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD, Value Chain Development Programme, VCDP, Anchor Borrowers Programme, ABP, in a Makurdi.

Ibrahim said the development was constituting a huge drain on the nation's scarce foreign exchange hence the decisive action by the federal government to boost local production of rice.

He said, "Our daily rice need is six million metric tonnes, MT, our average daily production level is four million MT. To make up the shortfall we are availing rice farmers required platform to access funds from the Bank of Agriculture, necessary inputs and ready off takers and by do doing improve their livelihood."

Earlier, the IFAD-VCDP State Project Coordinator, Mr. Emmanuel Igbaukum said the success so far recorded by the programme in the state necessitated the enlisting of 3,000 more farmers to be trained by his office on good agronomy practice.

He said, "500 farmers will come from each of the six local government areas including Oju, Kwande, Katsina/Ala, Buruku and Otukpo which are considered outreach areas, they will be linked to the ABP, while Gwer West will be used by the state government to replicate IFAD-VCDP.


In his remark, the Commissioner for Agricultural, Mr. James Anbua said the state government would continue to support the programme and also ensure that its gains were sustained in the state.

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