Kebbi State Governor, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, Tuesday gave a high rating to the quality of rice being produced in the country, saying that Nigeria is now competitive in the production of the commodity.
Bagudu, was a guest on ARISE NEWS and said unlike countries that started rice production earlier than Nigeria – who sell rice stored for years in warehouses – Nigeria sells freshly produced rice.
“We have done well in the last few years. Nigeria is competitive with other countries in rice production. There is no country that can sell rice to us if we compare things. What has been happening is that countries that are stronger than us, countries that started early are selling subsidised rice to us, or rice that has been kept in storage for many years but we are selling freshly produced rice,” he added.
He, however, expressed optimism that the country has the prospect to dominate the rice market in West Africa and on the continent with the right investment in critical infrastructure and capital.
“With the support we are receiving, the funding from the domestic economy, the Central Bank of Nigeria, the capital market that is beginning to get interested, we believe that we have what it takes to continue to dominate and expand ourselves outside the shores of Nigeria,” he said.
According to him, Nigeria sits on “acres of diamonds” and the agriculture sector can bring Nigeria out of recession.
“The agricultural revolution across the whole country, including Kebbi, is still on its way and we are counting on agriculture to lead us out of recession despite the downturn in other sectors,” he said.