The Acting Director, Corporate Communication, CBN, Mr Isaac Okoroafor, in Bayelsa State on Tuesday, disclosed that a 50kg bag of rice is now selling for N8,000 in Ebonyi state.
Speaking at a sensitization workshop for the CBN Anchor programme for farmers, he said: “We should eat Nigerian rice provided for by the CBN Anchor Programme; 50 Kg of local rice is now N8,000 in Ebonyi. Already, the Abia Government has ordered rice from Ebonyi for Christmas”.
Mr Isaac said that the Anchor programme is channeled at promoting agriculture and is set to enable Nigeria begin exportation of rice by 2017.
He further stated that the programme has resulted in the massive cultivation of rice as a result of farmers in Kebbi, Jigawa, Ebonyi, Sokoto and Cross River states, among others who keyed into the programme.
Okoroafor further stated that Jigawa state had already harvested one million tonnes of rice, adding that Ebonyi’s harvest had outstripped the expected production for the year.
According to the acting director, Nigeria will be able to gain economic stability and achieve self-sustenance in rice production if there is continuous cultivation of the product.
In his words, “The development is encouraging and by the end of 2017, we will not only meet our national demand which is between six and seven million tons but have surplus to export.
“We must rid ourselves of eating foreign rice that has been stored for over nine years in Thailand, Vietnam and India. Nigerian rice is fresh and healthier.
“What we have done with this programme so far is to create jobs through farming, especially for the unemployed youths.
“Nigerian youths must wake up, dust themselves up and join this worthy campaign.
“Remember that the status of our farmers is now better due to the support they are receiving as a result of government’s policy. Our currency is weak because we engaged in needless importation of all kinds of food stuffs, including tooth picks; the government is determined to stop this.”
Mr Oke Nwajah, the branch Controller, CBN, Yenagoa, has urged everyone to support the farmers in their farming, adding that the Anchor Borrowers programme was an intervention to reduce their burden.
It will be recalled that a 50kg bag of imported rice was sold at N16,857 as at August, 2016 and has increased further to about 18,000 for some brands, while many others are still sold at N22,000.