An agriculture expert has chided the government over the high cost of rice despite over N850 billion on the rice value chain under the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme.
The National President of Nigeria Agro Input Dealers Association (NAIDA), Kabiru Fara, argued that if the money spent by the Central Bank investing in rice was spent on importing it,
Nigerians will have more than enough to eat at a lower price. Currently a 50kg of Nigerian rice is sold for between N25,000 and N27,000 while foreign rice is sold for between N30,000 and N32,000.
Rice millers had blamed the high cost of the staple food on the high cost of production and unavailability of paddy rice. They faulted the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the disbursement of over N850 billion on Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP), yet rice is still expensive and not available in the market.
Fara, while speaking to newsmen in Abuja, said rather than expending so much money on one value chain with no result to show, the government should invest more in ensuring farmers get access to agro-input at a subsidised price.
He however hailed the government for the reintroduction of the Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES), saying the scheme will force down prices of food and also ensure its availability.
