The Federal Government has purchased 100 rice mills for distribution to rice-producing states in the country, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh, on Monday announced.
He said that the machines would also be sold to private millers at reduced rates, adding that the gesture was part of government’s intervention to boost local rice production.
According to him, Nigeria is spending $5 million daily on rice importation from Thailand, India and Vietnam.
He expressed delight that Nigeria now ranked second in rice production in the continent, adding that the money spent on importation could be put into infrastructure development.
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