President Goodluck Jonathan Tuesday said his government must stop importing rice by 2015 as it works to make rice production a priority for Africa’s most populous country.
“Before we leave office in 2015, we must stop the importation of rice to Nigeria. There is no reason why Nigeria should be importing rice,” he said during a meeting with the head of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), according to a statement from his office..
Nigeria used to be sufficient in in rice production, but now imports it from the United States, Thailand and neighbouring Benin, among others.
“We have all that is needed to grow enough for domestic consumption and have a surplus we can export to other countries,” Jonathan said.
He added that the attainment of self-sufficiency in rice production was a top priority of his administration.
He requested increased support from the IFAD to revitalise the nation’s ill-funded agricultural sector.
“This government is fully committed to agricultural development…. We are not only thinking of increasing food production for domestic consumption, we are also working on making agriculture in Nigeria an attractive business for investors and our youth,” Jonathan said.
IFAD president Kanayo Nwanze, a Nigerian, said that the organisation will continue to be a strong partner of the country, the statement said.
Aug172011