petaling: Mr Joe Kwanashie, the Director, Irrigation and Drainage, Ministry of Water Resources, has urged Nigerians to reduce their consumption of rice to once a week.

Kwanashie said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja that the advice became imperative due to the amount foreign exchange spent on rice importation.

According to him, Nigeria spends N1 billion on rice importation daily.

‘’ If Nigerians decide not to eat rice every day but once a week, it will drastically reduce the importation of the commodity.

‘’If today we decide that instead of eating rice three times a day, we are only going to eat it once a day or once a week, we wouldn’t need to import all that rice.

“As a child, I know that in my house we didn’t eat rice every day.

“Today, most households in this country eat rice every day.

“Must we eat rice? what’s wrong with eating eba or pounded yam that we produce locally? will you die if you don’t eat rice? Kwanashie asked.

He said that the money spent on the importation of the commodity would not encourage economic growth, noting that Nigeria had so many other food substitutes.

‘’It’s something that requires political will and commitment and not only from the political leaders but also from us; its small sacrifices like this that Nigerians can make to make this country better.

‘’Look at the damage we are doing to our economy; one billion naira every day! do you know how many jobs that would provide in this country?’’ he asked.

The director, however, noted that Nigeria had the capacity to produce rice both for local consumption and also for export, stressing that the human and material resources required to to achieve it were also available.

On what the ministry is doing to combat the effects of flooding that had ravaged most farmlands and homes in the country, the director said:“The solution to flooding problem is multisectoral.”

http://pointblanknews.com/pbn/news/reduce-rice-consumption-director-urges-nigerians/

Your Father!

Standing5: The Suggestion of reduction of rice consumption isn't out of place, but we all know how money dissapear from our national treasury, all under the guise of one people oriented project or the other.

. De rice he was complaining about are de given it to de masses free de are buy it with de money is de choice. De money that amechi rotimi use to buy privat jet is enough to set up a rice farm that his state will benefit from. Ndi ala ndi ala.

my heart is bittered for dis country. Since you no that you spend millions of naira in importing rice, what fors common sense suggests? simply put your house in order. Stop the importation of rice and encourage local farmers with insensitives to grow rice. but no & all one FOOOLISH FOOOL will say is that we should stop eating rice everyday.





THUNDER FIRE YOUR LEFT YANSHH

My question is How did Mr Joe Kwanashie make that position

First it was cassava bread, now it's eat rice once a week. Haba people, is this how you intend to tackle one of the basic needs of d citizenry

The guy is indeed a M.oron. Talking like he still dey primary school.

Even a primary5 pupil can suggest that we allocate such money to producing our own rice. Our leaders know solutions to issues just like every1 else here. Why they wont do the right thing 'i wonder. I guess its just about their selfish interests. The black man is greedy and stupid by nature. The white man might be greedy but he surely wont give away billions to stash millions.

blink182:
Madman

A madman has a brian but the man is brianless,which makes him worse than a madman.

This man wicked o!this is d only thin cheap 4 nigerians now!beans & gari don go up now?(i think d people importing it r not r related to him)

its a shame this is coming out 4rm a top govt official why cant we increase rice production in d country

Mr kwanashie kwashiokor say una to dey eat joor! After this, he will advise you to go 0-1-0 or 0-0-1!
Shiorrrrrr

That man is a nyash-hole does he has a rice farm? wher is d jonathan rice initiative which he voted #billns we all know rice take 4-5 months to mature how long shall we wait 4 empty promise to germinate oloriburuku

redcliff: Men, most of the old cargo-s holding public office don't fail to dissapoint me. Just when you think they've hit rock bottom, they'l slap you for underestimating them and pickup their shovel and keep digging again.people who I'm supposed to be looking up to are saying trash like this. If nigeria imports N1bn worth of rice, isn't that a good thing in the sense that they know there is a huge demand there and they should make conscious efforts to channel that money into PROFESSIONALLY producing this commodity locally? I'm sure this slow poke of a man ate rice the morning he made this statement and would eat rice again in the evening. I weep for leadership in this hell-hole

Couldn't agree more. I salute your reaction and mine is no different.

we no fit produce rice locally?

i thought it was 4 medical reason. yeye man!

^^^
Like reducing garri consumption make u not go blind?

I am dissapointed.paint plastic of garri #600.00.
and dis man is talking like my dog"jack"did i actualy click on dis news?.mtcheeeew,hey wifey is sunday rice ready?.

The guy is right. Rice should be eaten only on christmas day and new year.

pDude: So we should start eating GARRI everyday

Drink garri with groundnut in the morning, eat eba & soup in the afternoon, and chop dry garri with fish or coconut at night, balanced diet ni.

KABIYESI SULTAN: The guy is right. Rice should be eaten only on christmas day and new year.

LOL LOL LOL LOL

Is this Director man. Well at all?? The cost of Iron Beans goes for 120 a cup and garri is 3 cups for Hundred naira, while rice still stands affordable at 50 naira per cup ** one should eat rice once a week!!! ***sighs** cheap popularity.

Do u eat garri everyday?

Is not his fault! May be he is suggesting we have a national rice day!

I am very sure this yeye man spoke from his anus.

I opened the thread hoping to read the worst: Health Implications of eating rice,only to realize the BUN/KUM was talking about how the importation bla bla bla...That guy is a F/U/CKING MOR/ON

This go to show the quality of leadership we have in this country. Why Should highly placed civil servant come up with this trash? Why can't we grow our rice locally and export surplus to other countries?