Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa (SAN) the former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice. In this interaction with newsmen in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, he spoke on the number of issues including why he ventured into rice production and this quest to govern Benue in 2015, among other issues. Uja Emmanuel report.
Why did you choose to invest in rice production and processing?
I ventured into rice production because it is an International staple food.It is a food item eaten everywhere on the continent. You talk of yam here, but it may be eaten in America or Asia, but rice is eaten in all continents of the world.So that is why we said let us look at rice. Then Nigeria was spending N1billion on importation of rice and so the idea was that if we are able to contribute at least 10 per cent of the rice consumed in Nigeria,we are not talking of export, out of N365 million, Benue will be going home withN36 million and that is quite a lot of money.
What have been the challenges in the course of this business?
Thank you very much. You see, I don’t want to talk about challenges now, I would prefer to talk about the successes recorded, because if you talk about challenges, then you are scaring people away from your business. The motivation is to woo people to come into the business of agriculture from agricultural processing perspective so that we can boost the economy of Benue State. If we begin to talk about challenges, then people will withdraw. So I said earlier, greater success has been achieved so far.
Sir, can you share with us the successes you have recorded so far?
The success is that we have created awareness in the productivity of MIVA Rice in Benue State and then increased the income of the ordinary rice farmer. The end result of setting up an agro-company is to motivate farmers to produce more and then get better income. If there is the processor, he earns over 10 percent of the total cost of raw materials, because if I buy a bag of rice at N3,000.00, I am only going to get about 10 percent of that as my profit. So the bulk of the money goes to the farmers, and it is a success because for me to woo the US Ambassador who is also participating in the company, to come to Benue State and talk to farmers, I think it is no mean success aimed at stimulating the growth of agriculture. One of the main reasons is to get the young people out of the streets, make them productive so that they do not idle about. So, if somebody does not have a job, you cannot blame him for committing crime. So, that is the motivation. When I started the factory, more people started coming in, and barely a year after the Minister of State for Trade and Investment and Supervising Minister of Aviation, Dr. Samuel Ortom, set up an animal feed plant. He was buying the bran from my rice industry, so if start talking about challenges he would not have come to patronise me.
Do you have enough raw materials to facilitate production?
Yes we have raw materials. In 2011 it was a challenge, but in 2012 the people rose up because of the motivation. But the calamity that occurred in 2011 affected us, the communal clashes in 2013 also because rice is predominantly produced in Benue State within the axis of Gwer, Guma, Gwer West and Agatu Local Government areas which not less than 120 metric tons and any rice must be enough to take care of my rice farm,and of course my sister company Ashi Rice because we started at the same time, bought the same equipment at the same place. The idea was that the two companies will stimulate growth.
Sir, but the local government areas you mentioned earlier as the highest producers of rice in the state are have now been immersed in crisis following the invasion by Fulani herdsmen. Is your company threatened by this development?
The crisis is not going to be there forever. I recently met with one of my rice suppliers from Naka, Gwer West and the young man started with me from 2011 and 2012 he bought his car. Three of them from this axis came to me and said,” this is the money we earned from your company and we bought these cars.” Today he is boasting that he is going to cultivate 50 hectres of rice, so certainly he is hopeful,he is not nursing fears of his business folding up. You know I am not afraid of anything. We should make people know that we are a determined people and food is one of the factors. First, they have attacked us, and second, if we dont farm we will go hungry, so I am not afraid.
Many people, said MIVA rice is local and therefore, will not be patronised. What can you say about this?
The rice that was supplied to Aso Rock Villa in 15 trailers was to the credit of Mr President. He made the order himself and the money was paid. That was the first time because people shy away from the fact that if you buy local food, you are helping somebody in the village, so there is patriotism in you. If you buy yam from the road side, you are helping him, if you go and buy indomie you are helping an Indian because Nigeria has laws, the laws allows for 100 percent repatriation of profit. But if you buy yam from somebody by the road side, you have helped him to pay school fees apart from the fact that you have also failed yourself, you have also helped the man. Recently, the Minister of Agriculture staid that Nigerians should patronise locally produced products, but people thought it was just an attempt to publicise local rice but that is not so. And because of ignorance, people say rice must be white, but white rice is not good rice because it has no nutrients.
How is the United States Government collaborating with Benue State and MICAP Company to boost rice production here?
For the past two years, the American government has done so much to the state through me. In 2011, the American government signed an agreement with my company to train 6000 farmers and 75 percent of the funding came directly from the American government. I was to convert 30 percent basically if they came to launch but the basic support came directly from the American government. They later expanded that to Cross River State which I am also a partner. We are hoping to expand to Taraba State next year where I am a partner also. Out of these, our people are moving away from the short grain rice to the long grain rice; they are having new technologies, new methods of application of farm inputs like fertilizer and insecticides, among others. All these are coming from the American government. And this collaboration has been unique and incidentally we got a letter also from the German government to come in next year. So, that alone is helping our people, research is also very important if you want to become a successful rice farmer. What we want Benue farmers to do now is to increase the yield per hectare because of the increasing population of the state. That is why I said that Benue people should make me governor come 2015 because I know what to do to uplift the standard of living of my people.
