MITROS RICE: MEETING THE FOOD NEEDS OF NIGERIA

By Wole Elegbede

It was not by coincidence that the nation's top manager of the economy was in Abeokuta on December 22, 2017. The governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele had been on ground to witness the dawn of a velvet revolution- the launch of Mitros Ofada rice, one of the deliverables from the stable of the current administration in Ogun state.

Emefiele has been a leading exponent of self-sufficiency in food production in Nigeria and a campaigner especially for increased yield in the production of rice. To somebody like him and others who understand the trajectory of Nigerian economy, the development in Ogun State can not be underestimated.

The administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun is anchored upon a guiding programme termed "Mission to Rebuild Ogun State" (MITROS) with five cardinal objectives. The one objective that is relevant to our discourse here is: Increased Agricultural Production and Industrialisation. As part of the efforts to fulfil its mission and contribute its quota to the food needs of Nigeria, the administration had embarked on this project. The state's rice farm is located in Iggua. It has a processing mill in Sawonjo while the packaging facility is based in Asero, Abeokuta.

With its launch a few days ago, MITROS rice, which consists of two types of rice (Ofada and perboiled), has become a reality. It demonstrates that the administration's agenda is not an ordinary political statement; it has translated into a development initiative that will help reduce poverty and put food on the table. Senator Amosun puts it succinctly: "For us in Ogun State, we cannot afford to sit back and watch our people suffer unnecessarily due to food insecurity. The availability of food is synonymous with the survival of society as a whole. Our past efforts at tackling poverty in all ramifications will amount to nothing if concerned efforts are not taken to ensure food security to people at all income levels. This is why today is a significant day, not just for Ogun State but for Nigeria as well. The Mitros Rice Mill, the first of its kind in Ogun State, will create jobs for our farmers. From now on, they will no longer need to travel far and wide in search of milling facilities".

The significance of the day was aptly demonstrated by the presence of the representative of the President Muhammadu Buhari, the Governor Of Kebbi State, Abubakar Bagudu who is also the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Self Sufficiency in Rice and Wheat Production. Under the Federal administration of President Buhari, agriculture has been given a pride of place in view of the unpredictable fortunes of the oil industry. The administration recognises that the diversification of the productive sector of the economy through the development of agriculture would put Nigeria in a better stead to cope with the vagaries of the oil market that have hampered the country's economic growth.

Both Bagudu and Emefiele painted a graphic picture of MITROS rice as they emphasised that its production will create job opportunities, booster the naira against foreign currencies and help to grow the economy.

With MITROS rice, you can not but marvel the rising profile of Ogun State. The state exhibits indisputable records as one of the leading states in the country with positive impact on the national economy. It is amazing that Ogun state alone attracts 75 per cent of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to Nigeria. This was an issue of curiosity when sometime in March, 2017, the United Kingdom Deputy High Commissioner in Nigeria Laure Beaufils inquired from Senator Amosun what he did to attract so much to the state. Today, Ogun State remains the industrial power house of the nation.

The celebration of MITROS rice by a national newspaper sums it up: "It was another giant stride by Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, in the agriculture sector as the state launched what it called Mission To Rebuild Ogun State, MITROS Rice in Abeokuta".

The above capture by the Leadership newspaper is only stating the obvious as it is superlative.

Elegbede, a Public Affairs analyst, wrote from woleogunstate@gmail.com

We don't know or eat Ofada rice here in SE and SS....

We only know Ebony agro or ebony gold...

Ofada rice is meant for only Afonjas

uglyafonja:
We don't know or eat Ofada rice here in SE and SS....

We only know Ebony agro or ebony gold...

Ofada rice is meant for only Afonjas

How about perboiled rice, Oga uglyafonja? I read in Elegbede's story that MITROS rice produced by Ogun State consists of two types of rice- Ofada and perboiled rice. I also read somewhere else that a 50kg of perboiled rice sells for N11.5K. Not too bad. At least they are producing something in Ogun state. Some states no fit pay salaries.

uglyafonja:
We don't know or eat Ofada rice here in SE and SS....

We only know Ebony agro or ebony gold...

Ofada rice is meant for only Afonjas

See bad bele miss road...

uglyafonja:
We don't know or eat Ofada rice here in SE and SS....

We only know Ebony agro or ebony gold...

Ofada rice is meant for only Afonjas

who asked this one question now?
No part of the post asks u to tell who is eating and who's not eating mitros rice.
But as ussual, ipob and uninteligent posts can't be separated.