The Federal Government has it will shut down the borders with a neighbouiring country throughwhich rice is smuggled on a large scale.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Audu Ogbeh, stated this, adding that the action will be taken in a few days’ time.
Ogbeh spoke in Abuja at a leadership clinic under the auspices of Guardians of the Nation International (GOTNI).
He said;“Our other problem is smuggling.
As we speak, a neighbour of ours is importing more rice than China is importing.
They do not eat parboiled rice, they eat white rice, they use their ports to tryand damage our economy.
Continue...“I am telling you now because in a few days, you will hear the border has been shut, we are going to shut it to protect you, us and protect our economy.
“You will start seeing all sorts of negative things on the internet.
“Let me tell you why we need to shut the border, Igrow rice, I was the first Nigerian to mill rice freeof stones, if you plant rice in certain parcels of land, some poisonous materials gets into the rice.
“There are three kinds of water in their natural state; there is fresh water from the river, salt water from the sea, blackish water.
“If you go to the Delta in many countries, in South East Asia where they grow the rice, if you plant rice in the same place like four to six years continuously, the quantum of arsenic begins to increase and arsenic causes cancer and that is what they are dumping for us.
“Some people say they prefer Thai rice because they are very sophisticated, welcome to poison,’’ Ogbeh said.
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