Dangote boosts food security with Rice Growers’ Scheme

Aliko Dangote

 Dangote Group has launched 8,000 hectares of Rice Outgrowers Scheme in Jigawa State as part of its partnership with governments at all levels to boost food production and reduce food imports.

The programme was launched with the distribution of rice seedlings to the benefitting farmers. It is believed that the programmed has the potential to provide direct jobs for 5,000 farmers and another 5,000 indirect jobs for various scheme dependents.

The rice project was executed by Dangote Rice Limited and is expected to be replicated in six other states of the federation. It is a fallout of memorandum of understanding signed between Dangote and the Federal Government on one hand and Jigawa State government on the other.

The president of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, said before the discovery of crude oil, Nigeria depended on agriculture for economic development. He noted that oil was meant to complement agriculture but sadly the nation abandoned it and concentrated on oil.

“Before the discovery of oil, our economy was built around potentials from our palm oil, groundnut, cotton, and rubber plantations. Now the price of oil has plummeted from a peak of $116 per barrel in June 2014 to as low as $29 per barrel in January 2016, this means there is huge loss of revenue to the government,” he said.

Dangote, Africa’s richest man, said Nigerian agricultural commodities and food import bills averaged over N1 trillion in the past two years, with foods like sugar, wheat, rice, and fish accounting for 93 per cent of the total cost of imports. He said the situation is unacceptable for anyone who loves the country.

The billionaire disclosed that the Dangote Rice Outgrowers Scheme is designed as a one-stop solution for the rice value chain.

“Farmers will be provided with training, necessary inputs with guaranteed buy back agreed price, will improve yield, production and income for the farmers,” he added.

Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, revealed that a whooping sum of $20 billion is spent annually on importation of food items that could be produced locally.

He commended Dangote for his efforts at providing food security, creating jobs and reducing dependency on food importation.

The minister added that the government is putting in place a strategy that will make farmers have greater access to farm implements to help them produce with ease.