By Nneka Nwogwugwu
President Muhammadu Buhari has launched the sales of rice paddy to millers in the Northeast sub-region.
Buhari, represented by Kebbi Governor Atiku Bagudu, launched the rice on Thursday in Gombe.
Bagudu said the event was the third one hosted by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN, after Niger and Kebbi states.
Bagudu said the achievement so far recorded in rice production was in line with the Federal Government’s policy on agriculture to boost food security, provide employment and diversify the economy.
He commended RIFAN for responding to the initiative and the policy measures undertaken by the government to improve the agriculture sector and make farming profitable.
The representative of the president added that the pyramids of rice displayed would be sold to different millers and that would create jobs for the youths.
He commended Gov. Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe for his passion for agriculture, as well as Gov. Mohammed Badaru of Jigawa state, for his presidential fertilizer initiative which showed that even without oil, Nigeria would survive.
In his speech, CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, commended RIFAN for the campaign which resulted in the success of the agricultural revolution.
