Agric policy is impacting says NEPAD group.

The Nigeria Rice Investment Forum Organised by the NEPAD Business Group (NBGN), which brought together relevant stakeholders, development partners, and government agencies to achieve its objective of creating opportunities that will transform rice production and processing in Nigeria and West Africa for self sustainability and social economic development has commended the policy programme of Mr. President on agriculture saying it is already impacting on the economy.

The NEPAD Business Group (NBGN) chairman, Chris Ezeh said that the group has increased focus on agriculture having identified the sector as one with huge potentials to create jobs and wealth for the economic development of the country and Africa, stating that the country is blessed with  favourable climate for maximum agricultural yields adding that the country's  rice industry is already witnessing some development in the last 14 years particularly under the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan , though there are still a lot to be done, as domestic rice production has not increased sufficiently to meet the increasing demand of the Nigerian population.

The Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Dr Akinwunmi Adesina in his welcome address said India wouldn't have been able to solve its problems without political will saying “if not for Dr Normal Borlon who came into the picture and with political will, India became a major exporter of rice and wheat just because they had the political will.

The population of Nigeria is rising so fast, there is high demand in rice and absolutely Nigeria has 84 million hectares of land and two large rivers, Benue and Niger, Nigeria must deploy everything necessary strategy to be not just a sufficient country in rice production but a major exported in rice. Although the federal government is currently focusing on rice milling to ensure a large quantity and quality paddy is produced” .

The representative of Alhaji Aliko Dangote, said they are delighted with the federal government's rice revolution plan which is work on improving rice production in the country saying the rice revolution plan under ATA programme has helped and encouraged his company to acquire 150,000 hectares of land for rice cultivation, 5 integrated rice mills with the plans of 50% of its milled production coming from the local farmers who will make use of the Dangote facilities. He further said that his company is shifting to rice production n order to achieve food sufficiency. .

Mrs Fedelia Njeze, the special adviser to the president on NEPAD said the forum was created to break barriers of large scale production of rice in Nigeria and also create solutions to challenges faced in actualizing self sufficiency in rice production in Nigeria and West Africa.

Stakeholders however suggested that market should be created to mop up the production through proactive policy that would give tight security against importation and capacity building at all the value chains of production, processing and packaging so as to meet global standard demand just as they added that” availability of improved seeds will enhance yield per hectares and building resilience against climate change must be addressed”