Okwe Obi, Abuja
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono has said Nigeria will begin rice export in 2022, if the current production output is maintained.
Nanono who stated this at the weekend in Kano, also condemned the high cost of rice and described it as unpatriotic on the part of rice dealers.
In a statement released, he
said “with the improved production rate, Nigeria rice is bound to compete favourably in the global market the moment exportation begins. If we maintain this momentum in the next two years, we may export rice to other countries.
“I see no reason why a 50kg bag of rice should be sold for N17,000, the same paddy rice is sold at N8,500 and maximum processing expense is N2,000 making a total of N10,500, it is unpatriotic to sell a bag more than N14,000 – N 15000.”
He disclosed that government would convene a forum for all stakeholders in the rice sub sector to dialogue on how to improve on rice Seedlings, farm inputs among others.
Meanwhile, Managing Director, Popular Farms and Mill Limited, Amit Kumar Rai stated that so far, he has invested over $70 million to boost production of agricultural businesses, especially rice and sesame in Nigeria.
“We operate the biggest rice mill in Kano with an annual installed capacity of 430, 000 metric tons. It has a consolidated capacity of 1.7 metric tons,” he added.