“I'm First Nigerian To Produce Stone-Free Rice in 1986”, Says Buhari’s Ex-Minister
- Chief Audu Ogbeh, a former minister of agriculture, said he was the first Nigerian to produce stone-free rice
- He stated that he attained this landmark as far back as 1986 using a destoning machine from South Korea
- The elder statesman said rice production had saved Nigeria $5 million every 24 hours
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FCT, Abuja - The former minister of agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbe, said he was the first farmer to produce stone-free rice in Nigeria as far back as 1986.
Chief said this in Abuja on Wednesday, June 21, at the launch of the Young Women in Agriculture (YWA).
Source: Getty Images
The event is an initiative of The Read and Earn Federation for UNESCO (UNESCO REF), under the Strategic Intervention Programme-ALPHA (SIP-ALPHA) in collaboration with the Nigerian in the diaspora and with support from Women’s Space USA.
When asked by Legit.ng to give an insight on how he achieved this feat 37 years ago, he revealed that former President Olusegun Obasanjo hooked him up with a rice processor machine from South Korea.
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He said:
“I was with President Obasanjo, whom I have known for a very long time, and he had some people from South Korea who came in here, and they brought mini rice mills.
“And on my trip to Korea, I saw these machines, and along the line, I started destoning rice.”
We’re saving Nigerians $ 5 million daily - Audu Ogbeh
The former minister noted that Nigerian rice is the best because they are not from marshlands.
He said growing rice on marshy lands is not advisable health-wise and that Nigerian rice is better off than foreign rice.
He noted that local rice production in Nigeria is saving Nigeria $5 million daily.
Chief Ogbe said:
“We’re saving Nigeria about $5 million a day. People don’t appreciate this; we’re getting broke because we import too much.”
Farmers vs herders: Abdusalami's treaty with West African neighbours behind crisis, Audu Ogbeh alleges
Meanwhile, Audu Ogbeh, a former minister under the administration of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, has reacted to the incessant farmers-herders crisis.
He stated that the regularly accused Fulanis are not the ones behind the killings of farmers in Nigeria.
Ogbeh, however, blamed it on an ECOWAS treaty that allows sub-regional nations to come into Nigeria with their cattle and graze.
Source: Legit.ng
