Daily Independent (Lagos)
6 October 2008
(Page 2 of 2)
that such a policy could also be applicable to Nigerian rice farmers.
Meanwhile, a rice expert, Mr. Musa
Umar, said that the current price could be sustained if local farmers were assisted with large, medium and small-scale rice milling machines.
He stressed that if properly processed, local rice could attract more consumers than the foreign varieties.
Umar opined that the waiver had affected the local production of rice negatively.
On the other hand, rice farmers, sellers and consumers in Gombe have urged the Federal Government to extend the waiver due to the current reduction in the price of rice.
AFAN Secretary in the state, Alhaji Aliyu Abare, said that many households would have been forced
to remove rice completely from their menu if for the waiver.
Abare said that the current price of rice could be sustained and further reduced, if the waiver was extended.
He said that the waiver did not affect local rice production in the state in anyway, as some consumers still preferred local rice.
He suggested that the measure should be extended by at least one year.
"By then, the availability of rice in the country will have been boosted under an accelerated rice production programme that would ensure its steady availability," Abare said.
Malam Bello Mohammad, a staff of Gombe's Ministry of Finance, told NAN that rice was the favourite meal of his family, adding that he was, therefore, in support of the indefinite retention of the waiver.
"In spite of our being Fulani by tribe, rice meal features prominently in my house, more than even cow milk (fura da nono), and any increase in its price will not be in the overall interest of my pocket," he said.
However, Mr. Tilass Lass, Coordinator of Rice Project in the state Ministry of Agriculture, noted that since the measure had led to a N11.2 billion loss in revenue to the government: "I do not see it as a positive development.
"If the amount lost as a result of the waiver was used in subsidising farming inputs for rice farmers, it would have gone a long way in boosting local rice production," Lass said.
He said that the waiver did not have any negative effect on local rice production in the state but admitted that the quantity of paddy produced this year had yet to be estimated.
Lass said that the state government had so far released N40 million from the N10 billion rice intervention fund to the state branch of RIFAN and expressed the hope that such releases would continue to enhance local rice production.
Meanwhile in Calabar, traders and rice consumers have appealed to the Federal Government to shelve its planned removal of the waiver by October 31.
One of the traders at the Watt Market, Calabar, Mr. Samson Chigozie, said that any move by the Federal Government to remove the waiver would spell doom for traders.
Another trader, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, urged the government to consider the plight of the people, especially now that Christmas and Muslim festivities were fast approaching.
"It will be very difficult for us to sell with another round of price increases, as customers' patronage will be minimal," he said.
A consumer, Mr. Emmanuel Ekanem, said that although the government was losing substantial revenue, it should reconsider its decision to withdraw the waiver because of its negative implications on the citizenry.
"Before government removes the waiver on rice importation, it should ensure that standard rice mills are built across the country for processing the local rice because the current rice mills are outdated," he said.
And in Ogoja, farmers have said that instituting a sustainable rice programme would bring a lasting solution to the rice crisis in the country.
Mr. Legor Idagbo, Chairman of Bekwarra Local Government Council in Cross River, commended the government for the waiver, saying that it had helped to trigger a reduction in the price of rice.
Idagbo, however, said that the waiver's withdrawal "without impetus to local production, would be telling on the people".
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2008 Daily Independent. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
WHEN WILL THE REAL WISE MEN WAKE UP IN NIGERIA???? YOU CRY ABOUT FEEDING THE PEOPLE, WHEN YOU DO NOT HAVE YOUR EQUIPMENT LINE UP! HOW ARE YOU GOING TO COMPLETE WHEN YOU HAVE NOTHING GOING FOR YOU EXCEPT EXCUSES. WE ARE PREPARED TO BUY ALL THE RICE AND CEMENT THE MANUFACTURE CAN MAKE FOR CASH EXPORT FOB LAGOS!! STOP CRYING AND GO TO WORK ON THE FIELDS AND EQUIPMENT AND FEED THE PEOPLE MEANWHILE BEFORE YOU HELP DRIVE THE PRICES UP AGAIN BY SAYING IMPORTS IS BAD. THE UNITED DI NOT EAT 80% OF THE RICE GROWN IN THE USA. WE IMPORT HE RICE!, AND MOST OF ALL OF OUR FOOD. WE EXPORT 90 % OF ALL OUR HOME GROWN FOOD WHICH IS ALSO SUBSIDIZED TO THE WORLD. GET OFF YOUR KNEES AND GIVE ME RICE TO EXPORT!!! TONY
WHEN WILL THE REAL WISE MEN WAKE UP IN NIGERIA???? YOU CRY ABOUT FEEDING THE PEOPLE, WHEN YOU DO NOT HAVE YOUR EQUIPMENT LINE UP! HOW ARE YOU GOING TO COMPLETE WHEN YOU HAVE NOTHING GOING FOR YOU EXCEPT EXCUSES. WE ARE PREPARED TO BUY ALL THE RICE AND CEMENT THE MANUFACTURE CAN MAKE FOR CASH EXPORT FOB LAGOS!! STOP CRYING AND GO TO WORK ON THE FIELDS AND EQUIPMENT AND FEED THE PEOPLE MEANWHILE BEFORE YOU HELP DRIVE THE PRICES UP AGAIN BY SAYING IMPORTS IS BAD. THE UNITED DI NOT EAT 80% OF THE RICE GROWN IN THE USA. WE IMPORT HE RICE!, AND MOST OF ALL OF OUR FOOD. WE EXPORT 90 % OF ALL OUR HOME GROWN FOOD WHICH IS ALSO SUBSIDIZED TO THE WORLD. GET OFF YOUR KNEES AND GIVE ME RICE TO EXPORT!!! TONY
WHEN WILL THE REAL WISE MEN WAKE UP IN NIGERIA???? YOU CRY ABOUT FEEDING THE PEOPLE, WHEN YOU DO NOT HAVE YOUR EQUIPMENT LINE UP! HOW ARE YOU GOING TO COMPLETE WHEN YOU HAVE NOTHING GOING FOR YOU EXCEPT EXCUSES. WE ARE PREPARED TO BUY ALL THE RICE AND CEMENT THE MANUFACTURE CAN MAKE FOR CASH EXPORT FOB LAGOS!! STOP CRYING AND GO TO WORK ON THE FIELDS AND EQUIPMENT AND FEED THE PEOPLE MEANWHILE BEFORE YOU HELP DRIVE THE PRICES UP AGAIN BY SAYING IMPORTS IS BAD. THE UNITED DI NOT EAT 80% OF THE RICE GROWN IN THE USA. WE IMPORT HE RICE!, AND MOST OF ALL OF OUR FOOD. WE EXPORT 90 % OF ALL OUR HOME GROWN FOOD WHICH IS ALSO SUBSIDIZED TO THE WORLD. GET OFF YOUR KNEES AND GIVE ME RICE TO EXPORT!!! TONY
WHEN WILL THE REAL WISE MEN WAKE UP IN NIGERIA???? YOU CRY ABOUT THE FIELDS ARE NOT PREPARE. YOU WANT TO STOP IMPORTS BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT READY. THE MONEY GIVEN TO HELP YOU, IS SITTING THERE NOT BEING UTILIZE. YOU’RE LOOKING AT THE RUNNER GAINING ON YOU INSTEAD OF LOOKING WHERE YOU ARE GOING. YES YOU NEED EQUIPMENT AND INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO START YOUR PROJECTS, OF BEING ABLE TO GROW RICE IN THE AMOUNT THAT WOULD FEED YOUR COUNTRY, STILL HAVE ENOUGH TO EXPORT. YOU FIRST MUST HAVE A PLAN TO DO THIS. WE ARE PREPARED TO BUY ALL THE RICE AND CEMENT, ALL THE OTHER PRODUCTS, THE NIGERIAN MANUFACTURE CAN PRODUCE. CASH EXPORT FOB LAGOS!! WE WILL GIVE YOU THE TECHNOLOGY TO PRODUCE, WE ARE IN POSITION TO HELP DO CONTRACT FARMING WITH ALL THE FARMERS. MEANWHILE BEFORE YOU HELP DRIVE THE PRICES UP ON YOUR IMPORTED COMMODITIES, THINK ABOUT HOW THIS HELP THE PEOPLE WHO HORDES THE IMPORTED PRODUCE, WAIT UNTIL THE BANS ARE LIFTED TO MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE, FOR THE SMALLEST FAMILY TO SURVIVE.
THE UNITED STATES, AS WELL AS MOST OF THE G-8 COUNTRIES DO NOT EAT 80% OF THE FOOD GROWN IN THEIR COUNTRIES. THEY IMPORT RICE, WHEAT, CORN, MOST OF ALL OF OUR FOOD. WE EXPORT 90 % SUBSIDIZED, OF ALL OUR HOME GROWN FOOD, TO THE WORLD.
GRANTED, THE FIELD IS NOT LEVEL, YOU ARE FIGHTING AN UPHILL BATTLE. FIGHT SMART KNOW WHEN & WHERE TO PICK YOUR BATTLES. WE WILL HELP YOU IF YOU ONLY ASK FOR THE ASSISTANCE AND THE TECHNOLOGY.. TONY
WHEN WILL THE REAL WISE MEN WAKE UP IN NIGERIA???? YOU CRY ABOUT FEEDING THE PEOPLE, WHEN YOU DO NT HAVE YOUR EQUIPMENT LINE UP! HOW ARE YOU GOING TO COMPLETE WHEN YOU HAVE NOTHING GOING FOR YOU EXCEPT EXCUSES. WE ARE PREPARED TO BUY ALL THE RICE AND CEMENT THE MANUFACTURE CAN MAKE FOR CASH EXPORT FOB LAGOS!! STOP CRYING AND GO TO WORK ON THE FIELDS AND EQUIPMENT AND FEED THE PEOPLE MEANWHILE BEFORE YOU HELP DRIVE THE PRICES UP AGAIN BY SAYING IMPORTS IS BAD. THE UNITED DI NOT EAT 80% OF THE RICE GROWN IN THE USA. WE IMPORT HE RICE!, AND MOST OF ALL OF OUR FOOD. WE EXPORT 90 % OF ALL OUR HOME GROWN FOOD WHICH IS ALSO SUBSIDIZED TO THE WORLD. GET OFF YOUR KNEES AND GIVE ME RICE TO EXPORT!!! TONY