The Minister, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) Dr. Mahmood Abubakar has said that the government intervention on rice backward integration will amount to nothing if illegal importation of the produce is not stopped.
Dr. Abubakar declared this in a press statement made available and signed by Mr. Obe Mbosire Mabel on behalf of the ministry after a meeting with the steering committee on national task force on illegal importation of rice during the weekend.
The minister in the statement raised concern on the increased smuggling of foreign rice through the land borders, saying this would undermine the huge investment of government on the produce as well as shortchanged the sustainability of the FG support.
He said that ‘’ the ministry is very concerned about the increase in smuggling and has convened this meeting to discuss critical issues in order to strategize and come up with concrete measures to enable the committee carry out its duties effectively’’.
Abubakar also noted that the huge improvement in the rice sub-sector need to be sustained for the country's economic growth as signified by the huge contribution of the agricultural sector to the nation's Gross Domestic Production (GDP) which is in line with the Federal Government’s diversification policy.
The rest of the statement reads “the resumed smuggling of foreign rice, especially through the land borders is constituting a serious threat to these achievements. Therefore, if the smuggling is left unchecked it will jeopardize all government efforts to enhance the domestic rice industry and make them ineffective”.
He pointed out that " the Federal Government and private sectors have invested a lot of resources in rice production and processing over the years because of the government commitment to the development of the sub-sector through its various interventions’’.
“The Ministry has been supporting farmers especially smallholders and rice processors with quality seeds of improved varieties, production and processing machinery and equipment including the provision of modern rice mills of various capacities, per boiler, dryers, colour sorters in order to boost rice production and improve the quality and market competitiveness of domestic rice’’ said the minister.
He said that ‘’Nigerian rice industry had recorded significant progress in terms of investment due to an increase in the quality and quantity of the milled rice and it has in turn, increased the competitiveness, consumer preference and patronage of our milled rice’’.
The Minister stated, ‘’ there is no better time than now to maintain the rice production momentum in order to achieve self-sufficiency for food and nutrition security ,job creation ,wealth generation and import substitution’’
In his remarks, the Comptroller General, Nigerian Custom Service, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), said that the meeting has presented an avenue for the committee to deliberate and discuss on curbing insecurity and smuggling of rice into the country’’.
He further said that ’’ the Nigerian Customs Service cannot fight alone in the Operation of the border patrol but needs other security agencies such as the Nigerian Civil Defense Corps to beef up the joint operations of the Taskforce’’.
Chairman, Presidential Committee on Trade Malpractice, Alhaji Dahiru Ado commended the ministry, the Nigerian Customs Service and other partners in their sustained efforts in tackling the menace of illegal rice importation through the land borders into the country.
He said his committee will continue to track vessels that bring in rice into the country through the Benin Republic and that the companies involved will be apprehended.
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