Rice generates N470b to Nigerian Economy - Dr Akinwumi Adesina(Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development)

As we all know in 2014, Dr Akinwumi Adesina,the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development had said that rice transformation programme of the present administration of Agricultural Transformation Agenda(ATA) which was launched in 2011 had added N320billion to our nation's economy.

On Thursday 26th of February 2015, at the signing of Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) between the Federal Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and Alvan Blanch on the establishment of 26 paddy collection centres, Dr Akinwumi had said, Rice sub-sector has generated  about N470billion to the Nigerian Economy in the three and half years of implementation of the Rice Transformation Agenda.  He also said over the last three years that the Rice sub-sector in Nigeria has attracted over $2.6billion of the private sector investment.

While addressing a group of representatives from India, Dr Akinwumi Adesina said over 7 million metric tonnes of paddy rice have been produced and added to the domestic food supply.


Going down the milling sector, The Minister also said the Federal Executive Council had recently approved the procurance of 10 medium scale rice integrated mills which are to be located in the 10 states of Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Kaduna, Kebbi, Kogi, Niger, Ogun, and Zamfara. He stated that the integrated mill have the capacity to mill 360,000 metric tonnes, adding that it would scale up the total milling capacity of rice to 12 million metric tonnes.
The Minister added that the integrated mills would be located in the areas of high production of rice, and that the operation of the integrated mills would be driven by the private sector.

On the MoU signed with Alvan Blanch, the Minister said the firm would build 26 paddy bulky aggregation centres across the rice producing states, adding that the centres would allow farmers to store their paddy as well as make their produce to be competitive which was one of the primary aim of the administration.

He maintained that locally produced rice is more tasty, of high quality and highly competitive than foreign imported rice.