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‘Ebonyi will generate over N6b from local rice soon’

By Chijioke Nelson
29 November 2016   |   4:20 am
Going by the assessment of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ebonyi State would soon become a hub for local rice production and supply in the South East and generating more than N6 billion yearly.
Ogbeh

Ogbeh

Going by the assessment of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ebonyi State would soon become a hub for local rice production and supply in the South East and generating more than N6 billion yearly.

Agriculture minister, Chief Audu Ogbeh, who made the disclosure at the weekend in Abakiliki, Ebonyi State, said the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is revolutionary in the management of the sector’s strategy.

Ogbe, at the inspection tour of the Presidential Task Force on Rice and Wheat production to the state, said that the rice and wheat initiative of the CBN, under the leadership of Godwin Emefiele, remained the greatest achievement of the institution in the last 50 years.

Lamenting that successive governments both at the federal and state levels were unable to create wealth among rural dwellers until now, he lauded the response of the farmers in the state to the programme (ABP) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The minister stated that the money coming to the state from other neighbouring states that have placed order for the rice will have significant impact on the well-being of the farmers and boost its economy.

He reiterated that it does not make any economic sense to continue to spend scarce foreign exchange resources on rice importation, when the country has huge potential to grow rice in commercial quantity.

According to him, each shipload of rice imported into the country displaces 12, 000 farmers from employment. Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, also commended Emefiele for managing the economy in the face of dwindling global dwindling resources occasioned by plummeting oil prices.

“Events like the recession is not only peculiar to Nigeria and you have done well to manage the state of the nation’s economy,” alleging that people that want to pull Nigeria down are the ones criticising CBN.

He said that governors knew that without the assistance of Mr. President and the good will of the CBN Governor to drive the economy, states government would have been in more crises.

Umahi said the country made a mistake in the past for not investing in infrastructure to drive agriculture, but now behoves on the present administration to develop them.

The Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Mr. Godwin Emefiele said with the dwindling foreign reserve, the country could not continue to import rice, hence the President Buhari’s directive to focus on Agriculture especially rice production.

However, Emefiele thanked the Governor for responding to the President’s call despite the lack of fund from the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme, as the state had used its money to improve production.

He reassured that with the dry season farming about to start, farmers in Ebonyi will access the facility, while machines will be available to farmers for harvest in the coming year.

The Kebbi State Governor Alhaji Abubakar Atiku Baguda said the ABP was designed to help Nigerian farmers and processors develop agriculture and its value chain.

Bagudu said in the last one year a lot of successes have been recorded in agriculture through the scheme and noted that what is on ground in terms of rice output suggests that the goal of self-sufficiency is achievable.

He lamented that over the years, wrong policies have been major constraints to farmers as they were left without support and encouragement.

Bagudu noted that the efforts of Ebonyi to key into the programme has made it possible for 50 thousand farmers in the state to be in line to benefit from January 2017.

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