With the passage of the bill seeking for establishment of Rice Development Council for second reading in the Senate last week, required mechanism for sustenance of local rice production and food security in Nigeria is being put in place, sponsor of the bill, Bima Muhammad Enagi (APC Niger South) has said.
Enagi stated this Tuesday in Abuja while fielding questions from journalists on the proposed National Rice Council. He added that the aim was to have a productive ecosystem for the rice industry in Nigeria with proper operational and governance structure.
He stated further that the council, when established like similar ones in the United States of America known as USA Rice Council, Rice Association of Thailand, Directorate of Rice Development in India etc, will provide necessary policy , regulatory and business environment for increased rice production, value addition, trade and income .
“It will transform the activities of rice farmers , rice processors, millers, researchers , marketers and other important stakeholders across the entire rice value chain, particularly the clusters of smallholder rice farmers and small scale millers spread all over the country.”
The council on its own merit, he added, “will pull investment into rice production , provide the missing link between rice production and industrialisation , provide employment , reduce migration from rural to urban cities and enhance socio-economic activities all over the country.”
The absence of a National Rice Development Council over the years, he lamented, has deprived Nigeria of a number of direct benefits derivable from having an organised Rice Industry like timely access to real – time and accurate information data, knowledge and technology .
This, he said, is clearly evident in the annual drain on the nation’s foreign exchange earnings put at about $2billion annually.
The piece of legislation is currently with the Senate Committee on Agriculture for further legislative inputs.
