Lagos-Kebbi-Ebonyi Rice Revolution: Will It Save Nigerians From Hunger?

Lagos-Kebbi-Ebonyi Rice Revolution: Will It Save Nigerians From Hunger?

The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has continued to promise Nigerians a change of fortune from their impoverished state.

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The President whose government may not be totally popular as a result of the economic recession in the country, has repeatedly told Nigerians that the situation will not last for too long. And there have been different ideologies the presidency has been trying to implement; one of them is for Nigerians to produce what they eat.

To this end, President Buhari on November 16, 2015 flagged-off rice farming in Kebbi and just a few days ago, the result of the flag-off is what is now to be known as Lake Rice.

Lake Rice is a joint effort of the Lagos and Kebbi state governments. The Lagos state partnered with her Kebbi state counterpart to bring smiles to people's faces as a bag of the staple food is sold for ₦12,000/50kg, about ₦7,000-₦8,000 lesser than the amount it is selling in the market.

Governors Akinwunmi Ambode and Atiku Bagudu signed a Memorandum of Understanding in March 2016 to produce rice for the large Lagos consumption market.

Ebonyi State had also presented its own offering of locally produced rice and pledged they had stock to crash the price of rice in the state. In fact the state wnet ahead and banned the sale of foreign rice.

The Ebonyi State Commissioner for Information, Senator Emmanuel Onwe has justified the banning of the sale and consumption of foreign rice as part of the state government’s moves to uphold the health and well-being of the populace.

Speaking during a courtesy visit, the commissioner also clarified issues concerning the purchase price of the locally produced rice even as he said that projected agriculture is one of the measures adopted by the Dave Umahi administration to ensure the viability of the state.

Onwe also appealed to the Federal Government to release the grain silos located in the state to the state administration to enable the state administration store grains.

Affirming the determination of the Umahi administration to ensure the wellbeing of the populace, Onwe said that locally cultivated rice does not have the kind of chemicals used in cultivating and preserving foreign rice before they are exported to countries like Nigeria.

Saying that Ebonyi rice lacks such, he said: “our contribution will be to make local rice available and easily affordable. People also need to be rest assured that Ebonyi rice is not heavily chemicalised as other rice.”

Noting recent disclosures on social media about how plastics were added to foreign rice, he said “it is a welcome development that Ebonyi government has banned the sale and consumption of foreign rice in the state.”

According to the commissioner, part of the governor’s responsibilities as the chief security officer of the state is that the health and wellbeing of the populace are not compromised by such additives in foreign made rice.

The commissioner also clarified issues on the pricing of Ebonyi rice. According to him, the paddy rice sells for ₦8,000 per bag while the processed rice which he boasted has no stones sells from ₦14,000.

Of Lake Rice, Buhari has urged other state governments to replicate the laudable example, not only in rice but also in other staple crops, and dairy products.

He added that he remains optimistic that we will meet our target of self-sufficiency in rice by 2019. We will continue to make steady progress towards it.

However consumers and critics complain they hardly have access to these low-prized rice. Some say they hope this is not mere propaganda of government.