Rice millers task FG, private sectors on local production equipment

By Matthew Denis Abuja

Chairman of Rice Millers Association of Nigeria (RIMAN) in Kwara State, Prince Ajisefinni Ayodeji has tasked the Federal Government and private sectors to assist farmers in the production of local equipment to boost productivity.

He equally appealed to the Federal Government to provide more security for rice farmers in the state to increase local rice production in the country.

Speaking at the inauguration of Rice Millers Association of Nigeria in Ilorin, Kwara state on Saturday, Ajisefinni said that the association had planned to embark on cultivation of 2000 hectares of rice farm to increase production of local rice in the country.

Ajisefinni said that if Nigeria is to be self sufficient in production of rice and reduce importation and consumption of foreign rice, the government should step up security for farmers especially in the rural communities.

According to him, Nigeria local rice is better and richer in food content than foreign rice adding that if the government and private agencies can assist rice millers to procure dryer and rice sorters, we will have clean and better rice that are free of stones, black grains and chaffs for the people of the country.

“We have secured the 2000 hectares of land from the State Government for planting of rice, but what we are demanding is security so that our members who will cultivate the land will be secured. We have gone to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to deploy their Agro Ranger corps to provide security for our members on the farm but we are appealing to the Federal Government to beef up more security especially in the rural areas.”

The RIMAN Chairman said that the millers association was being put together to ensure that quality rice that is free from stones, black grains and extraneous materials are produced in the state.

Also speaking at the occasion, the station manager of Bank of Industry (BOI) in the state,  Mr Harrison Osauwagboe urged members to explore the opportunity provided by the Federal Government through the bank to assist entrepreneurs in the country.

He said that the bank is ready to provide funds for the purchase of industrial machines such as dryer and rice sorters to improve the quality of rice production.

He urged members to register their enterprise with the Corporate Affairs Commission which will qualify them for loans in the bank.

Mr Mosadioluwa Ayinde who represented the Director of Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) at the event urged the Millers to improve the rice produced in the country so as to make it suitable for export to other countries.

He said that “If the quality of rice that goes out of the country for export is good, foreigners will accept it and patronize our local rice.”