Buhari Unveils 1 Million Rice Pyramids
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday unveiled one million bags of paddy rice in a step that showcased the success of the government’s rice policy.
By the Central Bank of Nigeria’s anchor borrowers programme, the Nigerian government has identified rice as a staple for which Nigeria should be self-sufficient.
The programme creates the special funds from which rice farmers could access funds for land preparation, improved seedling, cultivation, fertilizer and harvesting all geared towards improved rice production in the country.
At Tuesday’s unveiling to focus on the success of the policy, President Muhammadu Buhari said that Nigeria was advancing towards self-sufficiency in rice production. He advised agriculture commodity associations that have not keyed into the anchor borrowers’ programme to do so and contribute to the nation’s food sufficiency efforts.
In his remarks, the president of Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Aminu Goronyo, thanked the president for fulfilling his campaign promises of producing what we eat and encouraging Nigerians to eat what we produce, and for creating the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme to support farmers.
He added that the association was committed to working tirelessly with the central bank of Nigeria to produce rice on a massive scale all over the country.
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, said the bank has empowered at least 4,489,786 farmers through intervention financing, the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP).
He added that the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme has also catalyzed the rural economy and has built a sustainable framework for financing smallholder farmers in Nigeria.
Highlight of the event was an award presentation from president Buhari to Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti, Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi, Ben Ayade of Cross River, David Umahi of Ebonyi, Abubakar Badaru, of Jigawa, the Central Bank of Nigeria, and the president, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Aminu Goronyo amongst others, for their contribution to the success of the rice programme.
