The Governor of Kebbi state, Atiku Bagudu has assured Nigerians that the bumper harvest recorded this farming season will help to stabilise the price of rice in Nigerian markets.
This was disclosed in a statement released on Monday, 4th November in Argungu Local Government Area of the state by Atiku Bagudu who doubles as the Chairman of Presidential Taskforce of Rice and Wheat Production in the country while interacting with rice farmers in the locality.
“The bumper harvest the rice farmers have recorded this rainy season will bring down the price of locally produced rice to curtail smuggling of foreign rice into the country and make it affordable to the common man,” he said.
Bagudu aassured the farmers that the state government would soon procure and distribute mini rice milling machines to them, to enhance the quality of rice they packaged for markets.
“Already youths have been trained on the operation of the machines who will impart such skill to rice farmers in the 21 local government areas of the state,” Bagudu said.
While reacting to the development, one of the farmers identified as Alhaji Abubakar Usman told the governor that they had recorded bumper harvest this year and would sustain the tempo in coming seasons.
Usman however appealed to the state government to support them with fertilizer, pesticides and rice milling machines.