Nigerian can produce rice twice a year, says NCRI Director


Dr Samuel Agboire, Director General National Cereal Research Institute Badeggi in Niger, said on Thursday that Nigeria has the capacity to produce sufficient rice to meet local demand.

Agboire said in Badeggi that all that was required was sufficient farming implements and inputs, as well as cheap credit facilities and market for farmers.

The director general added that all tiers of government must embark on massive construction of feeder roads to open up the hinterland and enable farmers transport their produce to mills and markets.

” We can comfortable produce rice twice a year if the required farming implements will be made available at government approved rates.”

He said that farmer should be motivated through the provision of modern farming implements at subsidised rates.

Agboire called for sufficient funding of research institutes to enable them meet up with national challenges.

“No nation can develop or meet its Agricultural produce targets without adequately paying attention to Agricultural research.

” Sufficient funds should be devoted to research in order to achieve set objectives for food security.

“We are blessed with human capacity and the land to produce assorted food and cash crops for our consumption needs and export.


“We are happy now that the present Federal Government has developed the political will to boost rice cultivation in order to stop rice importation which has being gulping a lot of foreign exchange,” the DG said.

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