Chief Audu Ogbeh who is the minister of agriculture and rural development has said the demand for foreign goods at the expense of local products may push the Dollar to N1000. He also said that the reason the price of rice is now expensive is because of its huge demand from Nigerians, Daily Post reports that the minister also said that said Nigerian businessmen demanded 2.5 billion dollars a week for importation of goods and services into the country.

He noted that the consumption of rice was rising and that many people did not know this could be substituted for potato. “The volume of importation of virtually everything into this country is too much. “The demand for dollars in this country as at today is 2.5 billion a week; this is the quantum of dollars Nigerians are asking for to import things. “Since 1986, we began this habit of importing everything and doing virtually nothing at home to sustain ourselves; now, we do not have the dollars and people are very hungry. “This day was coming anyway, no matter who was in power; we have the most ridiculous method of devaluing our currency; every week, we auction the dollar and naira goes up.

https://www.naij.com/968162-nigerians-made-rice-expensive-consuming-much-minister-agriculture.html

Substitute Rice for Potato??I will ask again,is there no sensible minister in this present administration?

Focus on increasing production not substitution, abi no be the same 3 months the 2 crops will take to be ready for harvest!

HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?

Pandorabox:
HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?

I wonder oh

What a country

Mustay:
Swift response from the Ministry - I was going to highlight this in the original story itself. Even from the story on Daily Post that posted this headline, you could easily highlight the needless sensationalism the online paper sought to achieve - http://dailypost.ng/2016/09/14/nigerians-eat-much-rice-thats-expensive-audu-ogbe/
The potato thingy makes sense when you consider the event where he made this statement.
Looking at the misleading headline by Daily Post, do Nigerians eat too much rice Yes, that's why it is a staple food but we have to ask ourselves this question - why do we import what we consume when we can produce and even export an unpolished and 'healthier' local rice
Remember when Sanusi callled for more investment in rice production in Nigeria in 2013 He advised that the N365 billion set aside for rice importation annually should be invested in massive rice production. He had previously stated that the country spent about $1bn (N155bn) on the importation of rice in 2010. Even when FG bans importation of rice, why is it sill being smuggled via the borders Are we a thinking nation at all Who is doing who
Emefiele was also quoted making the following remarks:

“When we stop importing toothpicks, stop eating imported rice cultivated with chemical, stop eating chicken imported and preserved with formaldehyde, then our economy will begin to grow.”

“When we stop importing toothpicks, stop eating imported rice cultivated with chemical, stop eating chicken imported and preserved with formaldehyde, then our economy will begin to grow.”

https://www.naij.com/954425-stop-emefiele-accuses-sanusi-spreading-lies-economy.html


In 2013, we were declared the world’s largest importer of tomato paste

---

On a lighter note, I find it interesting when Audu Ogbeh usually inserts the health risk of some of our practices. Here, he talked about rice being ascernic, last week he talked about the health effects of grinding pepper with machines.

On a lighter note again, it was on Silverbird News yesterday that I saw the feature of 'economic recession in Jos' and one of the ladies interviewed mentioned that "even the sweet potato, na Buhari yam we dey call am now".

'This man still get mouth to talk'

Potato is actually healthier than Rice (cardio health)

But the Main problem is,

If Nigeria subtitute it for Rice

D demand will be so high that we will need to import

Nd believe me Mr. Lai

D price of potato would surpass the price of Rice.

So if dre re no policies to produce more Potato than we re currently doing

Then shut ur mouth.

And let us think our way thru this suffering u pple have subjected us to,

Since d president has decided to surround himself with archaic set of human beings.

dis is d man dat took buari 6 months to appoint.

Is this minister okay at all?

So nw APC will decide what every Nigerian shld eat.
So it has got to this, if u have no solution to problems better resign

Potato ko....

Cassava ni...

Oniranu...

Audu Ogbeh tell that to Hausa-Fulani and yorubba who don't have balanced diet culturally. SE and SS have and eat balanced diet, and you can tell by their appearance and body. 80% of foods consumed by all Nigerians are SE and SS foods. Igbos, Ibibios, Efiks, Ijaws, urhobo don't eat amala, oil soups, tuwo, shikanfi but yorubbas, Hausa-fulani eat Igbo, Ibibio, Efik dishes EVERYDAY if not they will be malnourished...another benefit and reason they want One Nigeria!