The Federal Government has inaugurated the National Rice Development Strategy (NRDS ll),and the Competitive African Rice Platform (CARP)—Nigeria—dedicated to the productivity and sustainability of the rice industry.
The Minister of State for Agriculture, Mustapha Shehuri, while giving his remark, said the NRDS II document covers till 2030 in providing direction for the development of the rice subsector, adding that the strategy seeks to achieve the government’s goals of self-sufficiency in rice production, food and nutrition security, employment creation, and production of surplus for export.
Shehuri noted that the rice value chain has been identified as being strategic to achieving lofty objectives of promoting the agricultural sector in order to realize its potential of achieving food and nutrition security for the country’s teeming population.
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He recalled that NRDS I served as a catalyst for the commencement of the rice revolution in the country and was used to develop the rice transformation agenda under the agricultural transformation agenda and the agricultural promotion policy (APP).
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Ernest Umakhihe, who was represented by Mr Daniel Udo, Director, Department of Rural Development, ministry of Agriculture, said CARP was set up to ensure the competitiveness of home grown rice and sustainability of the Nigeria’s rice sector.
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The Kebbi state governor, Sen. Abubakar Bagudu, disclosed that scientists, the mobilization of private investment, and the coming together of financiers and policymakers under the leadership of the ministry of agriculture have enabled the country to do well in rice production.
Dr Boladale Adebowale, the ECOWAS Rice Observatory (ERO) Officer, also spoke, stating that while rice had emerged strategically as a food security commodity, regional collaboration was critical for the growth of the rice subsector.
