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Nigeria: Ruma Leads Rice Search Party to Lagos
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This Day (Lagos)
5 May 2008
Posted to the web 5 May 2008
Olawale Olaleye
Lagos
Sequel to his meeting with stakeholders last Saturday at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja , Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources, Dr. Abba Sayyadi Ruma will today lead a search party to Lagos State with a view to verifying claims of certain companies that they have thousands of metric tonnes of rice in stock.
Consequently, the minister has also explained the circumstances that threw up the proposed N80 billion intervention funds by the Federal Government on the food situation in the country, saying it came into being as a result of the need for special intervention funds in the development of agricultural programmes.
Ruma, who is said to be working jointly with every interest group on the lingering global food crisis is said to be consolidating on his short and medium time plans such that would cushion, to a large extent, the biting effect of the scarcity of rice on the average Nigerian.
Sources at the ministry told THISDAY that at the minister's meeting with stakeholders on Saturday, some Lagos based companies had claimed to have in stock, thousands of metric tonnes of rice that could at least, help in alleviating the implications of the rising food prices in the country.
For instance, THISDAY learnt that at the meeting, the Stallion Group claimed to have in stock, no fewer than 10,000 metric tonnes of rice while VeeTee Rice also said it processes 75,000 metric tonnes of rice per day.
Also, Dana Rice, THISDAY gathered, said it could provide about 180,000 metric tonnes while Olam and Intercity too have also laid claims to 80,000 and 100,000 metric tonnes of rice respectively.
Besides, Alhaji Abubakar Wodi, President, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria was also said to have told the meeting that his group has about 2.5 million metric tonnes of paddy rice at the moment.As a result of this, the minister, it was gleaned, is billed to be in Lagos today with his search team to verify the claims and then move on to the next stage in a bid to contain the situation.
However, on the N80 billion intervention funds, Ruma said: "Let me explain the circumstances leading to the N80 billion because these are some of the issues I believe as agents of enlightenment, not only do you need to know, but also, you need to understand the antecedents leading to that so that it can be projected in good light."
With the situation of things in this country, we can't pretend not to know the basis of government intervention, he said, adding that government has continued to show concern on the food situation in the country.
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According to the minister, "we agreed at a meeting with Mr. President that there should be a special intervention fund for Agriculture in the next four years because in the next four years, the entire global community is not likely to get out of this situation.
"So, what to do in the medium time in addition to the budget is to have a complimentary funding support institution to support agricultural activities in Nigeria. "It was on account of this that Mr. President granted that the 1.68 per cent of the federation account will be dedicated as agriculture development fund to catalyse private sector participation in agriculture and it provides the surest mechanism to a clear roadmap and to enhance Nigerians in the current agricultural practice. "And the minister of state for Finance (Remi Babalola) was there at the meeting and he was asked what is the balance in the account and what is the balance the account today is N80 billion. And so, it was agreed that this should be devoted in enhancing in the short time and in the medium term, agriculture development programmes. And whatever therefore is likely to accrue into the account will be specially devoted as a complimentary fund to the budget to support agriculture development programmes".
In the meantime, government is said to have been told of a rice processing machine that can process about 30,000 metric tonnes of rice per day and at the cost of 100 million for one.
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