The Federal Government is to halt the importation of rice from next year, President Goodluck Jonathan has said, explaining that the rationale is to encourage local rice farmers to improve their productivity and become self-reliant in rice production.
Jonathan, who unfolded the plan at the flagging off of the three days Agric Show, organized by the Kano State Government in Bauguada over the weekend, promised that the Federal Government would not withdraw subsidy on fertilizer.
The president, who was represented on the occasion by the Minister of State for Agriculture, Alhaji Bukar Tijjani assured that it would make fertilizer available to farmers next year before the start of the rainy season.
Attribution: NationalMirror, NewsWatch & Sensor