Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) – Nigeria expects to save US$2.5 billion from next year when the ban on importation of rice comes into effect, according to the Minister of Agriculture Akinwumi Adesina.
The private Nation newspaper Thursday quoted Dr. Adesina as saying at a public function in the capital city of Abuja that the government’s new policy on rice was to promote local rice production and ensure that the country attains self-sufficiency by 2015.
Nigeria is the leading rice importer in the world, at a cost of billions of dollars annually.
But the Minister said this would change from next year, as the country was poised to be a net exporter.
“Our rice self-sufficiency policy was directed at saving Nigeria US$2.5 billion annually and putting this into the hands of our rice farmers and rural communities,” he said.
