- The federal government has announced that Thailand has agreed to establish rice mills in Nigeria
- Lai Mohammed, the minister of information and culture, said that the president has immensely curbed the mass importation of rice from foreign countries, especially Thailand
- Mohammed said the federal government's reduction of the importation of rice from Thailand necessitated the establishment of the mills in Nigeria
The federal government on Sunday, March 4, announced that Thailand had commenced the implementation of plans to establish rice mills in Nigeria.
Lai Mohammed, the minister of information and culture, made this known at a tour throughout some rice plantations in Kebbi state, the Punch.
Mohammed stated that the federal government had succeeded in its war against rice importation, particularly from Thailand as Nigeria had reduced its importation of the grain by more than 90%.
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Mohammed remarked: “As we speak today, Thailand rice growers are making passionate appeal to the Federal Government. What they are doing now is that they want to set up rice mills in Nigeria, which means we have won.”
He explained why Thailand rice producers were making serious moves to set up mills in Nigeria. He said: “ Thailand wants to set up several rice mills in Nigeria because we have stopped importing from them.”
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The minister stated that Nigeria was able to cut down on the importation of rice from Thailand from 644,000 metric tonnes in 2016 to a little more than 20,000MT presently.
Meanwhile, NAIJ.com reported that the minister of agriculture and rural development, Audu Ogbeh, says Thailand had accused President Muhammadu Buhari’s government of being responsible for the collapse of its seven rice mills as rice importation into Nigeria had fallen drastically.
Ogbeh made this known at a meeting of the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI) and leadership of the Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers of Nigeria (FEPSAN) held at the council chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Friday, February 2.
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Source: Naija.ng