Rice Importation Must Be Discouraged In Nigeria, Says Jigawa Governor

Jigawa State Governor, Badaru Abubakar, has stressed the need to discourage the importation of rice in the country.

In an attempt to meet the demand in Nigeria following the border closure, he announced that the state would become one of the leading producers of quality rice.

The governor disclosed that the state government has completed plans to begin local production of farming implements and tools to boost rice production in the state.

He gave the hint when he hosted a Chinese delegation led by the Governor of Hunan Province, Mr Oufang Huang, on Wednesday at the Government House in Dutse, the state capital.

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Governor Abubakar explained that in order to improve farming activities in the state, the government would explore the option of solar power for gravity irrigation which would cover between 70 to 100,000 hectares of land.

As a leading producer of quality sesame in Africa, he said Jigawa would soon commence the exportation of the oil-rich seed to the tune of 30,000 tonnes to Huanan Province for extraction.

The governor added that his administration was using the Research Institute of Huanan Province to improve the yield and quality of rice production in the state.

He was confident that Jigawa would be the leading rice producer in the country in the next five years.

Earlier, Mr Huang said they were on a return visit to Jigawa State to have a strong partnership on agricultural production.

According to him, the visit was at the request of Governor Badaru who paid a similar visit to the province in China.