President Muhammadu Buhari has said the commissioning of rice pyramids in Abuja was an indication that Nigeria is making steady and assured progress towards self-sufficiency in food production.
The President expressed expectation that other agricultural commodity associations that were yet to participate under the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)-funded Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) will emulate the rice farmers association of Nigeria in supporting his administration’s drive for food self-sufficiency.
The President made the remarks at the unveiling of the FCT Mega Rice Pyramids in Abuja on Tuesday morning.
The President unveiled 13 rice pyramids or one million bags of rice at the event that was attended by some state governors and business operators.
“As a critical policy of the government, the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme is expected to catalyse the agricultural productive base of the nation, which is a major part of our economic plan to uplift the economy, create jobs, reduce reliance on imported food and industrial raw materials, and conserve foreign exchange,” Mr Buhari said.
Speaking at the event, CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, said beyond increasing the national output from about 5.4 million metric tons in 2015 to over 9 million metric tons in 2021, the CBN in collaboration with the rice farmers have also significantly improved the productivity per hectare of the smallholder farmer from about 2.4 metric tons per hectares in 2015 to between about 5 metric tons per hectares in 2021.
The CBN governor said the unveiling of the rice pyramids was one of the many achievements of the CBN funded Anchored Borrowers’ Programme, saying the feat was achieved due to the vision and determination of the Buhari-led administration to deliver on food security.
