“We recently visited some of Nigeria’s 34 integrated rice mills as well as rice clusters in Kano. The rice mills are either operating at full capacity or have doubled their production. “Before the drill, there were 12.2 million rice farmers in Nigeria, but now six million people, mostly youths, are venturing into rice production. “Before the drill, farmers were cultivating rice twice a year, now that has increased to three times a year, and some rice farmers are now venturing beyond rice cultivation to milling, packaging, and marketing. “Overall, the integrated mills currently produce 150,000 bags of rice daily and about 35 million bags per annum,’’ he said.

Source: The Guardian December 30, 2019 15:33 UTC