FG CAUTIONED AGAINST BAN OF RICE IMPORTATION IN 2015

The Managing Director, Attajiri
Rice Mill Sokoto, Alhaji Nura
Attajiri, has said the plan by the
federal government to ban rice
importation in 2015 is not
feasible, as local production by
farmers cannot meet the demand
for the commodity.
Speaking during an interview
with THISDAY in Sokoto, Attajiri
maintained that the ban on
importation of rice in 2015
would be counter-productive;
pointing out that local
production of rice was low in the
country.
According to him, out of the 50
million metric tonnes of rice
being consumed in the country
annually, 21 million tonnes were
imported from China, India and
Thailand.
Attajiri, who is a large scale rice
farmer and an industrialist,
emphasised that banning rice
importation in 2015 would make
life difficult for Nigerians due to
inadequate production of the
commodity by local farmers.
"As a large scale rice farmer that
has been in the business since
1983 and also engage in
irrigation farming all year round,
I know the negative effects of
importation of rice on the
economy. But the truth of the
matter is that banning
importation of rice in 2015
without commensurate local
production would be counter-
productive.
"Most of the people that collect
agricultural loans from
government for paddy rice
production are not genuine
farmers. I strongly believe that it
will take some time for Nigerian
farmers to meet local demand
and this can be achieved only if
government is determined to put
in mechanisms to ensure that
only genuine farmers are
empowered," he said.
He stressed the need for the
federal government to provide
incentives and empower small,
medium and large scale farmers
in order to achieve the desired
targets.
Attajiri said to this end,
government should empower
local producers and processers
of rice with loans, grants and
other forms of assistance to
produce more.
The Managing Director stated
that government should also
sensitise Nigerian youths on the
need to engage in farming
activities and also see it as a
profitable venture while capacity
building should be conducted
regularly for farmers on how to
use fertiliser and improved
varieties of seeds. He opined that
concrete and genuine efforts
should also be made by the
federal government towards
mechanised agriculture in the
country.
Attajiri, whose factory processes
rice for local consumption,
expressed the determination to
commence the exportation of
rice to neighbouring countries.
He appealed to wealthy Nigerians
to invest in the economy, adding
that they should move from the
level of dealers and distributors
of goods to manufacturers and
producers of commodities.
"We cannot develop as a country
if we rely on importation of food
and goods without producing it
locally. We have tomatoes, onion,
pepper and sugar cane in Sokoto
which can be processed to have
multiplier effect on the economy.
So, we cannot fold our arms and
allow other countries to feed us
when we have arable farmlands
and the resources to improve
our economy."
Attajiri, who was one of the
beneficiaries of the N2 billion
Fidelity Bank agriculture loan to
large scale farmers in the state,
expressed gratitude to the
Sokoto state government for the
opportunity to access the N20
million loan, which had enabled
him to improve rice production.