By Alphonsus E.W
The Federal Government says it is set to produce about 2.6 million metric tons of rice in the dry season of 2013 due to the success it recorded during the just concluded planting season.
This much was disclosed by the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina at a meeting with farmers from Zamfara who paid him a courtesy call. He admitted that as part the Federal Government’s Transformation Agenda, last year the idea of cultivating rice during the dry season was conceived.
As much as it had never been done, the Government went ahead with the plan and 12 months down the line, the Minister admitted that the expectation to produce 1.6 million metric tons of rice which would complement the 9000 metric tons already produced which represents about 80% of the country’s consumption.
