Why ban on rice importation should not be lifted – farmers

-Local rice farmers wants government to maintain status quo on ban of rice importation.

Ban on rice importation should be maintained in order to protect local rice farmers.

Chairman of Rice Farmers in Daura, Katsina State, Alhaji Jamilu Ibrahim, has urged the federal government not to lift the ban on the importation of rice.

Recall the federal government, banned the importation of rice into the country in order to protect local rice farmers and promote local rice consumption in the country.

Speaking after a meeting of local rice farmers in Daura on Monday, Ibrahim observed the need for government to maintain its stand on the ban of rice importation so as to boost local production.

The ban on importation will assist the local rice farmers to produce more at affordable prices for local consumption as well as assist the government to conserve foreign exchange.

“In Nigeria, we have fertile land in no fewer than 25 states where rice can be produced in large quantities for local consumption,” he said.

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“The CBN should continue with the Anchor Borrower Programme that was introduced to assist local rice farmers with loans.

“The programme has assisted farmers in producing rice in large quantities during the 2017 farming season.

“We are now set to go back to our farms for the production of rice during the dry season farming,” he said.

Ibrahim stated that with the attention been given to agriculture across all levels of government, the nation has the ability to achieve food security.

He therefore, urged the rice farmers to put to good use, the loan obtained by them.