This was made known by the National Coordinator, NFGCS, Mr Redson Tedheke, while speaking on the opportunities agribusiness has for Nigerians based on the 84 million arable hectares of farmland the country possesses, hence no excuse of being hungry, jobless, and poor.
Tedheke further stated this is the right time Nigerians should tap into various values in the agricultural sector, which the Cooperative is working assiduously to drive Nigeria on the path of food security, job creation and sustainability.
He said: “So the tour is to remind all our members and show them what is possible, what we have done and ask that more need to be done and drive Nigeria on the path of food security, job sustainability, and above all things creating the opportunity for all Nigerians to become sustainable and viable with regards to family of the upkeep and job opportunities in the agro sector.
“The farm is an eye opener for all that everything is possible when a country has land and people. Nigerians should know that above all things we can change this country from within.
“Nigeria is a country with 84 million arable hectares of farmland and 201 million people. How can you have 84 million arable hectares of farmland and be hungry?
“First and foremost, we are currently short of about 5 million metric tonnes of rice every year. With the closure of border the Federal Government simply made it possible and easier for groups like ours to take that lead to get involved and make things happen.
“We are currently producing 2, 000 25 kg bags of rice in a day. We are moving from 2, 000 25 kg bags of rice in a day to excess on 10, 000 bags of rice every day before the end of the first quarter of 2020.
“We have industrial distoners, with a capacity of destining about three trailer loads of rice in a day, polishers that can polish three trailer loads of rice, whiteners without adding chemicals, graders that separate broken rice, and colour sorters.
“All of this upgrade has increased our capacity to 100 tonnes of rice every day. However, we are discussing with the Federal Ministry of Agric currently to give us two processing mills with capacity of 200 tonnes. By the time the two trailer loads are added we will do about a thousand tonnes of rice in a day, and about 3, 000 tonnes of rice in a month.
“The farm is an eye opener for all that everything is possible when a country has land and people. Nigerians should know that above all things we can change this country from within.
“Nigeria is a country with 84 million arable hectares of farmland and 201 million people. How can you have 84 million arable hectares of farmland and be hungry?
“First and foremost, we are currently short of about 5 million metric tonnes of rice every year. With the closure of border the Federal Government simply made it possible and easier for groups like ours to take that lead to get involved and make things happen.
“We are currently producing 2, 000 25 kg bags of rice in a day. We are moving from 2, 000 25 kg bags of rice in a day to excess on 10, 000 bags of rice every day before the end of the first quarter of 2020.
“We have industrial distoners, with a capacity of destining about three trailer loads of rice in a day, polishers that can polish three trailer loads of rice, whiteners without adding chemicals, graders that separate broken rice, and colour sorters.
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