The Federal Government has announced that, it would shut down land border between Nigeria and a neighbouring country in a few days to avoid smuggling of foreign rice into the country.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, disclosed this, on Monday while speaking with youths in a leadership clinic under the auspices of Guardians of the Nation International, GOTNI.
Ogbeh who did not mention the particular country and border, said shutting the borders had become necessary to encourage local production and sustain the economy of the country.
The minister said a neighbouring country was bent on destroying the economy of the country and discouraging local production of rice, hence the need to shut down the border.
He said the Federal Government in two years reduced rice importation by 95 per cent and increased the number of rice farmers from five million to 30 million.
The minister said states like Anambra, Ebonyi, Kebbi, Kano and Jigawa were doing well in rice production.
The President of GOTNI, Dr Linus Okorie, commended the minister for sharing prosperity experiences with the youth.
Okorie noted that the leadership clinic was organised by GOTNI to expose young people to practical leadership principle for life success.
According to him, GOTNI is committed to changing the narratives of poor leadership in Nigeria by consciously developing the capacities of generational leaders.
Reacting to the development, rice farmers under the auspices of Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, RIFAN, hailed Federal Government’s move.
National President of RIFAN, Aminu Goronyo, said the move by the government will save the country billions of naira spent on rice importation on daily basis from Thailand and other countries, and increase productivity of his members across the country.
According to Goronyo, Nigerians have been consuming chemical preserved rice from most countries, and have, therefore, become carriers of cancer-related diseases, aside from negatively impacting the economy. He said: “It is a good move by the government for the entire country because huge amount of money has been spent on rice importation from Thailand.”