Floods Wash Away Nigeria’s Hope on Rice Self-Sufficiency…!!!
(Warning..!) F.Y.I. Not responsible if Admin has a different headline & caption from the above..!
(Warning..!) F.Y.I. Not responsible if Admin has a different headline & caption from the above..!
  | Leadership October 15, 2012 As floods continue to wreak havoc in several states of Nigeria, destroying farmlands of rice, maize and other crops, there are fears of imminent food security threat. A report by a group of journalists in Abuja who toured some of the ravaged areas of the country said that concerns on food security were coming at a time the federal government was contemplating the implementation of increased tariffs on rice imports and eventual stopping of same by 2015. The 2013 budget proposes a 10 per cent duty plus a 100 per cent levy on imported polished rice. But several voices of concern are emerging from all sectors urging the federal government to reconsider increasing the tariffs to a prohibitive level (100%). Concerns over food security were raised recently by the minister of environment, Hajiya Hadiza Mailafia, who revealed that thousands of farmlands had been destroyed by the ravaging floods across the country. She said, “The consequences of the floods are that there are huge losses of farmlands; there are likely threats to food security. We are likely going to have challenges that have to do with the health of the people in some areas.” Also, the federal director of agriculture in Adamawa, Wali Hamman, stated in an interview in Yola recently that there was a real possibility of food crisis in Adamawa State this year. The director noted that, considering the huge damage to farmlands, there was likely to be a food crisis in the state if immediate action was not taken to address the situation. He said “most of the farmers affected by the disaster are more preoccupied with how to save themselves and their families from the disaster than their farms”. Kano State has equally been badly affected by the floods resulting in disruption of rice production. In a statement by an association of rice growers in the state, it lamented that about 95 per cent of all rice farms had been destroyed by the floods. |
| Posted: at | |
TRENDING GISTS 
AMVCA 2025: Seven Doors & Lisabi: The Uprising Light Up Nollywood’s Biggest Night (Full Winners)
Kidnap Ring Busted In Anambra: Four Arrested In Daring Night Raid
Ex-AUN Provost, Professor Yusuf Attahir Baba Loses Three Children in Devastating Car Crash
Football Star, Lionel Messi-Marriage Rumours Stir Online Frenzy As Divorce Speculations Grow
El-Rufai & Peter Obi Meet at Cambridge Conference, Sparking Political Speculation Ahead Of 2027 Elections
"How My Mother’s Lover Rap3d Me" — 12 Year Old Victim Narrates Ordeal