NIGERIA IS SELF SUFFICIENT IN RICE PRODUCTION

That is a dream my country Nigeria hopes to achieve come 2020. We desire to be self sufficient in rice production and this is for a number of reasons.

1) We are the largest consumer of rice in West Africa.

2) We are the second highest importer of rice in the world.

3We consume about 5million metric tonnes of rice annually.

If we eat so much rice, then why don't we grow it ourselves? To help answer this question, various governments have worked very hard to increase the rice producing capacity of the Nigerian farmer. We must give kudos to the Jonathan-led administration and the current Buhari-led administration. As at 2016, through consistent government intervention and close monitoring, we were able to produce about half of what we consume as a nation.

Rice can grow in all the geographical regions of Nigeria. And by inference all the states of our dear country. The varieties commonly grown include the fadama rice, upland rice and lowland rice. As at today, the highest producers of rice are Kebbi state and Kaduna state. But I believe with proper interventions and incentives, more states would wake up and join the Nigerian rice revolution.

Rice has a special place in the hearts of Nigerians. It is a staple diet for us and no party is complete without a rice dish. We have a delicious variety which includes Jollof rice, fried rice, coconut rice, white rice and stew or ofe akwu or banga soup or vegetable sauces.

What role as Nigerians must we play to continue to encourage farmers to keep growing rice? Government interventions stop somewhere, you know. Any product that does not have buyers will naturally exit the market. Our role is to patronize the various brands of local rice we have today. As we buy their products, they can sustain production.

Why am I so interested in rice? Happy World Meal Gate(HWMG) is a food distribution company that has decided to use the multi level marketing model to sell her foodstuff. The company is interested in eradicating hunger in our country and has chosen to sell only foodstuff grown and produced in Nigeria to encourage the “buy naija” slogan and make it a reality.

Millions of naira have been spent encouraging rice production in the country both by the public and private sectors. Let's not allow this effort go to waste. Join HWMG today and let's work hand in hand to build a self sufficient nation. Just click on join below.