FG to establish 40 rice mills across federation

Audu Ogbeh, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, has unveiled plans to eliminate the importation of rice within the next two years as the country hopes to reach a deal with China within weeks to set up 40 rice mills across the country.

Ogbeh who gave the assurance during an interactive session with members of the House of Representatives during the plenary session, emphasised the need to develop commodity exchange and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) in the agricultural sector, as part of efforts toward diversification of the country’s economy.

The minister, who expressed concern over the sum of $5 million spent daily on rice importation, lamented the spate of resistance from those making fortune from the importation of staple foods.

He said: “They even protested against Central Bank of Nigeria interventions. The challenge is how we cope with resistance, competition and cheap finance, among others.

“Amid other things we are putting in place, 40 rice mills would be installed around the country by December, with tomato paste and banana processing plants also on the way,” he said.

He gave the assurance that the agricultural sector is capable of contributing 30 percent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) within the next one year, however he urged lawmakers to appropriate more funds for the development of the sector in the 2017 budget, stressing that the sector had been poorly funded.

While assuring the lawmakers of President Muhammadu Buhari administration’s resolve to guard against policy somersault, Ogbeh pledged that the present administration would rather deepen the policies as it had set a time frame for self sufficiency in rice production.

He also briefed the House on the ongoing collaboration between Federal Government and 10 States on rice production, as well as plans to construct earth dams across the country with the view to facilitate longer farming season.

Ogbeh also assured that government would not allow the citizens to be at disadvantage while encouraging private sector participation in agricultural production, citing a bag of tomato now going for N32, 000 in the market. While speaking grazing reserves, Ogbeh disclosed that nine states have formally requested the establishment of grazing reserves.

He also assured that within the next four months, the conflicts between Fulani herdsmen and farmers and issues on grazing routes would be resolved.

While commenting on grazing reserves and insistence on the importation of grass from Brazil, Ogbeh said nine states have written to his Ministry seeking the Federal Government to develop areas it had earmarked for reserves.

Insisting that the much-touted grazing routes would not provide the panacea to the problem, he argued that but for the neglect of the agricultural sector over the years, the clashes between herdsmen and farmers would not have arisen.

He said, “The crises must be brought to an end as soon as possible. We have to reduce the roaming; we have to correct the view that people like to wonder around; and we have to disabuse the idea that the Fulanis have a culture of moving around and sleeping in bushes with their children being subjected to snakes bites.”

KEHINDE AKINTOLA