The Federal Governor has released more than $1 billion to boost local rice production and to reduce imports of the commodity.
The money, to be spent through the Presidential Rice Initiative, is to be availed to rice farmers at a single-digit interest rate of 9 per cent per annum.
Some of the money will go to building 200 artificial seed multiplication centres for production of rice seeds.
Under the Presidential Rice Initiative, the money is meant to strengthen the capacity of banks in agricultural lending to farmers and entrepreneurs in the value chain as well as reduce rice importation.
It is estimated that Nigeria spends about one billion Naira daily to import rice, which is a big burden on the country’s foreign exchange.
The Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, said on Saturday in Abuja that large-scale rice farmers would empowered to ensure the successful implementation of the Presidential Rice Initiative.
Farmer associations
He said President Muhammadu Buhari had officially launched the $900 million Anchor Borrowers Dry Season Rice Planting Programme sponsored by the Central Bank of Nigeria in Kebbi state.
The government, he said, had also launched the 2015 dry season farming for rice farmers.
A large-scale rice grower, Alhaji Umar Salisu, has called on rice farmers to take advantage of the opportunities in the Presidential Initiative on Rice.
In an interview on Saturday, he said they were forming associations to take proper advantage of all the programmes designed to boost rice production.
“Although there are many that are not part of the association, I am still calling on them to kindly come and join the associations because it is the only way that is safe for real farmers,” said Alhaji Salisu.
He called on rice farmers to use the facility and other support services provided by the government to boost production.
He lauded the initiative of the government, saying that it will help boost the production of paddy rice and ensure self-sufficiency.
