Officers of the Nigeria Customs Service displaying some seized bags of foreign rice recently. Photo: Customs

By Abiodun Nejo

The National Chairman, Association of Greenfield Rice Producers, Marketers and Entrepreneurs, Chief Oludare Adekolu, says that Nigeria has the capacity to produce far more rice than what obtains at present if genuine producers get adequate support.

Adekolu, who is the Chief Executive of Igbemo Rice Processing Company Limited, said his association, with branches across Nigeria was bringing together rice investors, farmers, millers, processors and marketers to connect with the appropriate quarters to boost rice production.

The AGRIPMENT National Chairman said in a statement in Ado Ekiti on Friday that the body was linking rice farmers with “like-minded entrepreneurs, government ministries and agencies, equipment and input companies, financial institutions etc in order to fast-track the necessary assistance required to develop and expand their businesses”.

He said that the association was in contact with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the Small and Micro Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria to request inputs and equipment for its members to boost production of rice nationwide.

Adekolu said that findings from consultations with members across the country showed that members needed inputs and machineries to ease their transactions of rice sufficiency.

He said, “The inputs included improved seeds, herbicides, pesticides fertilizers and urea while the equipment included paddy parboiling machines, paddy dryers, paddy milling machines and rice destoning machines”.

The AGRIPMENT president stated that members would be willing to comply with terms and conditions of access to the government support, adding, “We humbly request also, if possible, for a monitoring officer from the Ministry and/or SMEDAN as the case may be for updates on our members’ activities”.

 He also expressed members’ willingness to be part of programmes designed for the sustenance of the rice sector in the country.

Published Date: June 22, 2024