Determined to boost rice production in Nigeria, the federal government has approved an intervention fund for the completion of the 10 Nos large-scale rice mills with a combined minimum capacity of 320 metric tons (Mt) per day in 10 states.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar who disclosed this at opening ceremony of the 45th regular meeting of the National Council on Agriculture and Rural Development in Jos, Plateau State stated that the mills will be located in Jigawa, Kano, Adamawa, Niger, Kaduna, Gombe, Ekiti, Ogun, Bayelsa and Federal Capita Territorry (FCT).
Dr Abubakar stated that the government also wish to vigorously develop clusters, rural nodal centres and rural cottage industries, as well as establish six Special Agro-industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) nationwide.
He further added that in pursuant of its mandate of ensuring food security, employment generation and wealth creation in the country, the Ministry is committed to supporting the establishment of over 100 processing centres in the rural communities across the nation under the Green Imperative Project of a private-driven mechanization programme.
“The Ministry will equally sustain its programmes on farm inputs subsidy support programme, registration, clustering and validation of farmers, mainstreaming women and youth in agribusiness, and developing Cooperatives along various agricultural commodity value chains.
“Other effort is the development of Agribusiness Incubation Centres, with capacity to train 4,000 beneficiaries per session, which are located in the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University, Katsina, University of Ibadan, University of Maiduguri, Niger Delta University and University of Abuja,” he said.
The Minister further declared that the Ministry has equally facilitated the production and distribution of 920MT of assorted improved seeds and the distribution of 67,000litres of Agro-Chemicals to 1,397,469 farmers.
In his address, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State said Northern Governors Forum had interfaced with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and its parastatals on the issue of value addition, extension services and education as well as provision of timely farming input to our farmers.
Lalong said the problems cut across the States and the entire country and need to be resolved without delay adding that the Northern Governors are also working with the Federal Government and security agencies to ensure that they deal with the issue of banditry, terrorism and general criminality which is threatening farming activities, particularly in the North.