By Jude Michael
An Anambra-based Industrialist and Chief Executive Officer, Wisdom Pack Anambra Rice Processing Ltd, Bro Edwin Ejike Urebe, has appealed to Anambra State government to consider his proposal, for rice availability and sufficiency for the residents of the state.
Bro Urebe, who made the appeal recently while having a chat with the press in his Ugbene country home in Awka North Local Government Area of the state, was optimistic that if the government can consider his proposal, rice would not only be sufficient for the consumption of the Anambra residents, but the price would also drastically go down.
Urebe attributed the steady skyrocketing prices of food commodaties in Nigeria to Filani cattle rearers’ banditry, and the present governments’ lack of interest in food production.
He said, ‘in Nigeria as it’s now, cost of rice supposes not to exceed N20,000 per bag, but the major problem as it concerns rice is Filani herdsmen, who pursued the farmers both in the North and the East out of farms.’
‘Another problem is that the governments no longer provide interventions to the farmers, and even if they want to do so, they use politicians,’ he said, accusing the politicians of highjacking and shortchanging the interventions.
He pointed out that the present federal and Anambra State governments had ‘done nothing as regards farming, particularly rice production both last year and this year.
‘If the state government supports my proposal, in two to three years time, there will be no need for rice importation from anywhere into Anambra.
‘In my last proposal, price of rice is N24,000 per bag, but due to increase in foreign exchange to Naira, we can sell a bag from 35 to N40,000 now if the government supports us,’ he said.
The Anambra-base industrialist further said that this proposal requires the government to explore and develop all the swampy arable lands in the state, for rice production.
‘Thereafter, the government will begin agricultural campaign to mobilize the youth and support them with required inputs, which will be paid for by the benefitting youth to the government after harvest,’ he said.
He explained that he had begun the initiative in a personal level with five youths whom he said, are expected to make at least, one million Naira profit each from one round of rice cultivation that will take four to five months this year.
Urebe, who is vast in rice production and processing also appealed to the governments to consult experts in farming anytime they have an intervention in agriculture so that the objective of the intervention will be achieved.
