President Buhari Lauds North East Rice Cultivation programme
President Muhammadu Buhari has described the revolution in rice production across the country as a product of his administration’s policy and the diligent execution of it by institutions of state such as the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The president spoke at the commemoration of the national rice festival and the flag-off of the North-east 2021 and 2nd cycle 2021 dry season rice cultivation programme and 2020 wet season harvest aggregation and sales of paddy rice to millers held in Gombe State.
Represented by the Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu, Mr Buhari expressed gratitude to the CBN for solving the problems of financing in agriculture and state governors for championing the cause of rice production and other agricultural commodities.
He commended the Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State for reviving the cotton value chain for which the state was once known for.
The president said despite limited resources, his administration had achieved monumental results in the agricultural production and its value chain, saying a lot of infrastructural projects that will galvanize economic activities were being undertaken across the country for the benefit of all Nigerians.
In his remark, Mr Yahaya said but for the policy direction of the president and the sound support of the CBN, the heaps of rice pyramids on display would not have been possible.
“The pyramids are back and we are happy to see this and let me recall that only in January the Management of Central Bank with the National Cotton Association were here in Gombe and they kick-started the aggregation process of cotton farmers who equally paid the facilities they took in kind to signal the return of cotton production.”
He said the state was a shining example in the anchor borrower programme of the Central Bank of Nigeria, owing to the fact that farmers in the state were poised on taking advantage of the programme to boost agricultural production and eventually pay in kind facilities obtained to maintain sustainability.
He added that his state had a favourable climatic condition for the production of sorghum, sesame seeds, and other agricultural commodities, making it a perfect destination for agriculture revolution in the North East sub-region.
