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Tag: Rice

  • Customs Intercepts Bags Of Poisonous Rice In Ogun

    Customs Intercepts Bags Of Poisonous Rice In Ogun

    Officers of the Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit Zone A, have intercepted over 1000 bags of foreign parboiled rice smuggled into the country through the Benin Republic border.

    The Acting Comptroller of the Unit, Hussein Ejibunu, stated this during a briefing on Thursday.

    Ejibunu said the rice with label production from India came in through the Benin land border.

    According to him, before further action, the consumables are tested by the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

    He said it was in the process that it was confirmed that the rice contained lead which he said is poisonous to human health.

    He said: “after seizing the smuggled rice, we called NAFDAC to conduct laboratory analysis it was gathered that the rice named SIMBA which consists of Led substances that is poisonous to the body was produced in India”.

    Mister Ejibunu Further warned Nigerians to desist from buying any imported rice, saying “no smuggled items will escape through the borders in the southwest under my watch”.

  • FG moves to Reduce Illegal Importation of Rice through land Borders

    FG moves to Reduce Illegal Importation of Rice through land Borders

    The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammed Abubakar, on Sunday said the ministry will continue to strategise and collaborate with security agencies to reduce the illegal importation of rice through land borders.

    A statement issued by Mabel Mbosire, Senior Information Officer in the ministry, on Sunday, said the minister stated this at a meeting, of the Steering Committee of the National Taskforce on the illegal importation of rice through land borders.

    Abubakar said that the ban on rice importation had brought about a significant increase in local rice production and unlocked economic opportunities for rice investors in the country.

    ”The ministry is very concerned about the increase in smuggling and has convened this meeting to discuss critical issues in order to strategise and come up with concrete measures to enable the committee to carry out its duties effectively,” he said.

    He noted that the huge improvement in the rice sub-sector needed to be sustained for the country’s economic growth, as signified by the huge contributions of the agricultural sector to the nation’s Gross Domestic Production (GDP).

    The minister said this was in line with the Federal Government’s diversification policy.

    “The resumed smuggling of foreign rice, especially through the land borders, is constituting a serious threat to these achievements.

    “Therefore, if the smuggling is left unchecked it will jeopardize all government efforts to enhance the domestic rice industry and make them ineffective.

    “The Federal Government and the private sector have invested a lot of resources in rice production and processing over the years, because of the government’s commitment to the development of the sub-sector through its various interventions.

    “The Ministry has been supporting farmers, especially smallholders and rice processors, with quality seeds of improved varieties, production and processing machinery and equipment.

    “Also, the provision of modern rice mills of various capacities, parboilers, dryers, colour sorters, in order to boost rice production and improve the quality and competitiveness of domestic rice.

    “The Nigerian rice industry has recorded significant progress in terms of investments due to an increase in the quality and quantity of the milled rice and it has, in turn, increased the competitiveness, consumer preference and patronage of our milled rice.

    “There is no better time than now to maintain the rice production momentum, in order to achieve self-sufficiency for food and nutrition security, job creation, wealth generation and import substitution,” the minister said.

  • Buhari Gifts Katsina Corps Members Two Cows, 20 Bags Of Rice, N1m

    Buhari Gifts Katsina Corps Members Two Cows, 20 Bags Of Rice, N1m

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday gave members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Katsina State two cows, 20 bags of rice and N1 million to mark the Eid El-Kabir celebrations.

    Buhari also commended former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon for the NYSC initiative, which he said had created more opportunities for uniting the country.

    He stated this while receiving corps members who visited him at his country home in Daura for Eid-el-Kabir homage, asking them to make the most out of the opportunity of travelling around the country especially in understanding different climates, cultures, languages and out views on life.

    “Every time I meet with former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, like recently, I still commend him for the initiative of the NYSC. The NYSC is spectacular in many ways,” he said.

    “Some of you have come from Port Harcourt, Lagos and Calabar and you can now feel the heat of Daura and how close it is to the desert.”

    On his part, the Corps Liason Officer, Umaru Babayo thanked the President for all the efforts and sacrifices to restore peace in the country, and the policies to diversify the economy, with agriculture as the main driver.

    He said the Emir of Daura, Alhaji Faruk Umar Faruk, had shown a lot of kindness and warmth to corps members as well in his domain, appreciating the community for always supporting them.

    Babayo assured the President of prayers for a successful time in office, and God’s providence in decision making that will move the country forward.

  • SOSG Inaugurates Sales Of 2021 Dry Season Farming Rice

    SOSG Inaugurates Sales Of 2021 Dry Season Farming Rice

    By Muhammad Goronyo, Sokoto

    Three local governments have been selected to flag off the distribution and sales exercise.

    Wurno, Wamakko and Kebbe were the local governments that have succeeded in getting the rice for dry season farming.

    Inaugurating the distribution, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal said it was aimed at empowering farmers to squarely face their activity and produce more rice for the teaming population and beyond.

    The Governor who was represented by the state Commissioner of Agriculture, Muhammad Arzika Tureta further stated that farming, old as it is, has been practiced from time immemorial and has been a source of livelihood.

    He said if faced accordingly, both the farmer, the state and the country would surely benefit adding that his administration is all out to support farming activities as well as education and Health.

    Farming, he similarly added, also become a source of revenue for the nation.

    Speaking for farmers, the national chairman of the farmers association Sokoto chapter, Alhaji Murtala Gagado thanked the state government for the efforts and promised to use the product accordingly.

    He said it become compulsory on them to complement and acknowledge the state government’s contribution to farmers as well as consider the importance of farming and its rewards

  • Covid-19 Palliatives: Benue Govt. Rejects FG’s Rice

    Covid-19 Palliatives: Benue Govt. Rejects FG’s Rice

    By Isaac Kertyo Makurdi

    Benue State Government has concluded plans to return the three trailer load of rice donated to it by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs as covid-19 palliatives, stating that the items were expired.
    Deputy Governor of Benue State and Chairman, State Emergency Committee on corona virus, disclosed this at the premises of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Makurdi during the flag-off of distribution of covid-19 palliatives by the Benue State Government to the poorest of the poor in the 23 Local Government areas said the deliveries were no longer fit for human consumption.
    Abounu who said the state government expended over N2million to evacuate the aforesaid items, stressed that even though the bags of rice had been taken to the three zones of the state for distribution, government decided to return them to the ministry of humanization Affairs.
    Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency, Dr. Emmanuel Shior averred that the covid-19 palliatives will be given to the poorest of the poor in the 23 Local Government of the state to cushion the effect of corona Virus.
    Shior maintained that the agency has identified over 15,000 people who are the core poor to ameliorate their sufferings.

  • Availability of fuel, local rice at Yuletide excite Oshiomhole

    Availability of fuel, local rice at Yuletide excite Oshiomhole

    The National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Adams Oshiomhole, has lauded the Buhari administration for ensuring the availability of petroleum products and locally produced rice during the Christmas and New Year festivities in the country.

    Oshiomhole made the commendation when he addressed State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Thursday.

    He said the president’s decision to encourage local production of rice in particular, has made it possible for Nigerians to patronise home grown rice during festivities, like the yuletide season.

    ”Few years back, people were always afraid of what will happen during the Christmas season, all your money, all the little money you are saving to take back home to celebrate with your people, you end up patronising ‘Black Market’ to buy a litre of petrol at two, three, or four times the value and sometimes it is adulterated.

    ”And we see pictures of people who are stranded across the country because they cannot access petrol.

    ”I also think that we ought to celebrate the fact that we are able to celebrate Christmas and New Year and people have rice everywhere that were not imported from other countries – Nigerian made rice.

    ”Now if we can sustain this policy for another one year or two years and Nigerians get used to eating Nigerian rice and our farmers get a ready market for rice, obviously, that aspect of food security would have been put behind us.

    ”I believe it is something that we should commend the President for what he has done and the courage to put Nigeria first before any other sentiment.

    ”So, we can say that we can see a gradual revolution taking place in the agricultural sector,” he said.

    The APC chairman observed that Buhari’s 2020 New Year message was unique and has given a lot of hope to Nigerians.

    He said: “We also thought that giving the reactions of some oppositions, we reassured Mr President that there was nothing wrong and we are indeed happy with the New Year message to Nigerians.

    ”The responsibility of every leadership is to inspire hope. Life is sustained and driven by hope and the challenge of leadership is not to join the people to lament that things are terrible, to give up and join the people in wallowing in self-pity.

    ”The principles of leadership is to inspire people, give them hope and in this case, in line with the principles of accountability and democracy, democracy is not only about voting and everybody goes to sleep.

    “It is all about explaining periodically what he is doing, what he is going to do differently and what he hopes to accomplish within a given time. And I think that is what the President’s new year message sought to do.”

    Oshiomhole assured Nigerians that going forward in 2020, the APC would ensure that ”it takes into account all the mistakes it made in 2019 so that the party will be more stronger, more coherent and more peaceful”. (NAN)

  • We can meet rice demand during Yuletide – Processors

    We can meet rice demand during Yuletide – Processors

    The Rice Processors Association of Nigeria (RPAN) says members have the capacity to meet the Nigeria’s demand for rice during and beyond the Yuletide.

    The Chairman of RPAN, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, gave the assurance on Tuesday in Abuja when he spoke with journalists.

    According to him, the combined capacity of integrated mills produced about 150,000 truck load of rice on a daily basis as well as 1.8 million metric tonnes annually.

    Abubakar said the figure was different from millions of metric tonnes produced annually by small scale millers and local millers.

    He said that speculations that there would be scarcity of rice during this Christmas period should be disregarded, adding that there would be enough supply of rice in the country.

    “I can assure Nigerians that they will find rice everywhere and throughout this festive period,” he said.

    He also noted that the positive impact of the Federal Government’s border closure on rice millers was enormous.

    Abubakar said that Nigeria relied on rice importation with only one rice mill in operation about 10 years ago, but today the country could boast of 40 integrated milling machines of world standard.

    He disclosed that before the border closure, members of the association had been complaining that they could not sell the product in their warehouses but had since exhausted their stock.

    Abubakar said that some RPAN members, who closed their factories because of lack of patronage, were now back in business because of border closure.

    The chairman said that he was at the Central Bank of Nigeria’s headquarters on behalf of his members for possible grants for expansion of their rice business. (NAN)