The Minister of Information and
Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has raised the alarm that expired rice meant for
animals is being imported into Nigeria.
The minister disclosed this on
Tuesday while speaking with newsmen in Oro, Kwara State.
He noted that most of the rice
have been on the shelf for more than six years and had expired.
Mohammed blamed the development
on smuggling, pointing out that if the affected rice had been put under
scrutiny they would have failed NAFDAC test.
He, however, vowed that in the
next one and half years Nigeria will become self-sufficient in rice production
given the commitment of the administration to agriculture.
“The rice being imported now are
not fit for consumption in their countries of origin.
“They are also being subsidized
and sent here even in credit because those people know that they are unfit for
consumption; they are only fit for animals.
“Imported rice are mostly
smuggled into the country because they cannot pass NAFDAC test. No Nigerian
rice is more than one-year-old but the imported ones have spent even six years
in their countries”, he said.
“In the area of agriculture, it
has been a huge revolution. Let’s take one of our national staples, such as
rice, as an example. When we came in, there were 5 million rice farmers,” he
added.
“Today, we have in excess of 11
million rice farmers. Our rice import has been cut by over 80 per cent. These
didn’t happen by accident. It was a result of our Anchor Borrowers Programme.
There are more millionaire farmers today than at any other time in the history
of our nation.”
“Today, Nigeria is close to
achieving self-sufficiency in rice than at any other time in the history of our
country.”
LIAR Mohammed who do you blame for unbridled smuggling in nation?
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