National President Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria(RIFAN),Alhaji Aminu Goronyo, has declared the closure of the country’s land borders is a good omen for the economy.
The economy, he said, is becoming more formidably robust and transformed, translating into more tangible prosperity for the country .
He argued the closure was necessary not just for local rice producers but also to encourage and inculcate the spirit of nationalism, patriotism and economic discipline in Nigerians for self sufficiency in food production.
“It is to the advantage of our farmers, processors and millers. It has also created massive employment, boosted the agriculture sector as well income among Nigerians,” he pointed out.
Goronyo, who spoke exclusively to The Nation in Sokoto Tuesday, said the directive has saved the country over N300bn spent annually in importing rice.
“It has supported their economies in terms of infrastructural development employment and so many other developmental projects at the expense of our efforts. It is a thing to celebrate that all these have been checked and brought under control with the closure of our borders,” he stressed.
According to him: “Nigeria is only using 20% of such sum to produce over 10m metric tonnes of paddy rice which is above our consumption ration of 7.5m metric tonnes.
“It may interest Nigerians to know that between 2015 to date, Nigerians percentage of rice consumption has been significantly from local production.
“Therefore, I am urging Nigerians to see the Federal Government strategic border closure as a wake up call to patriotism and not about rice producers making money rather to ensure Nigerians are remarkably producing what we eat locally thus open window for export to earn foreign exchange for economic prosperity.
“We cannot continue to be dependant on foreign rice which we have the land and fertility to produce in large quantum.”
