Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has boasted that his state could provide Nigeria with all the rice supplies it needs if only the federal government could remove waiver on the commodity.
Oshiomhole disclosed this to State House correspondents on Friday in Abuja against the backdrop of the National Economic Council, NEC’s decision to promote local production of food crops in states with comparative advantage on them.
“Edo could do a lot if the Federal Government has coherent agricultural policies that do not provide the window for waivers, and expired rice and cheap rice to be dumped on Nigeria,” he stated.
The Governor decried the waiver granted rice importers by the previous administration, regretting that such has led to dumping of various goods in the country which has driven local producers of food items, including rice, out of business.
According to him, big rice millers in Edo State were already waiting to see if a new policy that favours local production will be implemented before they would return to the farms.
Oshiomhole, while noting that Edo has huge potential for massive rice production said such might not happen until the right policies are made, stressing that Leventis Group had promised that with the new administration in the country, and controversies over removal of duty waiver, it was willing to resume production.
He also said that Dangote Group had acquired about 50,000 hectares of land for rice farming in the state and was enthusiastic to go into massive rice farming with the right policies in place.
The Governor further assured that his administration had waived land charges as incentives for big investors in agriculture and urged those interested in investing in the state to embrace the gesture.
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