We are ready to produce enough rice for Nigerians, export—RIFAN

Farmers under the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Plateau State chapter, have assured Nigerians that farmers are ready and willing to produce enough rice to feed the nation and even export it to other countries when the ban on rice importation is fully implemented.

In a chat with BusinessDay, Francis Ossia, deputy chairman, RIFAN, said that this can only be achieved if the Federal Government continues to provide assistance to smallholder rice farmers across the country.

“Nigeria can farm rice to the point of exporting it if the government will continue to give farmers assistance. If government can give assistance to rice farmers, there will be rice everywhere to the point of exporting”, Ossia said.

According to him, the government has to be serious with its Anchor Borrowers Scheme (ABS) and also ensure that other farm inputs such as fertilisers, chemicals, and tractors are available and affordable.

While commenting on the move to stop rice imports, Simon Filibus Le’An, expressed the view that the country cannot continue to rely on other countries for rice.

“It’s a very good move because when you farm and you cannot get back your investment, then it’s not a business. You just have to abandon farming. And if all farmers farm for their consumption, definitely, there will be a problem in the country. We cannot keep relying on other countries for rice. If it is banned and you can get some profit when you farm, people will go into farming.

“All the farmer needs is inputs. If the government can provide inputs such as fertilizer and others for farmers, it will encourage a lot of people to take up farming. If the chemicals are not genuine or expensive that you cannot buy enough to go round the farm, then there will be a loss. But when you have all these things, farmers make profits and are encouraged to produce more,” Le’An said.

He also urged the government to provide loan to smallholder farmers, noting that a total ban on rice imports will encourage local production in the country.

Ezekiel Mangkoim Shikse, a member of RIFAN, Plateau state chapter held the opinion that government has always been the problem; and that if the government could make rice farming convenient by providing the required tools to farmers, “then there will be rice to ourselves.”

“If they can make rice farming convenient by providing the required inputs to farmers, there will be rice for us. If the fertilizers, herbicides, tractors are available, there will be no problem. Even if they stop rice importation there will be no problem, but the problem is that when the government say something they always fail to do it”, Shikse told BusinessDay.

 

Desmond Okon, Jos