Nigeria has recorded a decline in its food import bill from a total of N1.4 trillion (about $7 billion) in 2009 to N717 billion (about $4.35 billion) as at December 2013, representing a decline of $265 billion (N429bn).

President Goodluck Jonathan, who made this known yesterday, also said that paddy rice production has grown by an additional 7 million metric tonnes from 1999 till now, even as the nation’s food import bill has been reduced by almost half.

“Our paddy rice production has grown by an additional 7m metric tonnes within three years. This is remarkable but we have to work even harder still,” he said at the commissioning of the OLAM Rice Mill in Lafia yesterday where he designated the mill a staple crop processing zone (SCPZ).

Jonathan, while speaking on the need to upgrade the SCPZs, directed the ministers of agriculture, power and water resources to give immediate priority towards developing roads, power, water and gas supply as a means to ensuring easy movement as well as reducing the costs of agriculture and agro-businesses to be extended to all SCPZs.

President Jonathan assured that his government was committed to ensuring food sufficiency in rice production as a priority. “Nigeria must be self-sufficient in food production. In this regard, our rice production programme has continued to receive very focused attention along the National food policy last year so that we can grow two or three cycles in a year instead of only once this year.”

He noted that as a strong private sector responds to our rice policy, the integrated rice mills have grown from 1-18 functional integrated mills producing high-quality rice which meets with international standards and can compete with imported ones, adding that the private sector is key to achieving our transformation agenda and agriculture and rice production cannot be an exception.

Read Full Story
http://leadership.ng/news/377812/food-import-bill-drops-2-6bn-3-years

http://monitor9ja.com/2014/07/nigeria-records-2-6bn-drop-food-importation-last-3years/

Only if you can do as you say then it is a good move, if not..

story story, welcome to Nigeria, where laziness has finished us. our sand is so fertile plants grow on some houses. why did we even do economics in the first place in school. we keep giving our money to Thailand and d likes for rice we can produce. smugglers using the seme route are also having a field day killing our economy . well make i no complain self because i never get liver do what is necessary. violent revolution #

2nd to .................

Great news. We should encourage them by making use of our homemade produce. Helps improve the economy.

HMmmm

This is one of the things that the partisan criminals from the north fail to see.
Give us the power..thats all they want.

How on earth do you want power when you know you are going to drag the nation backwards?

Rather than dragging everybody down, Why not agree on regional govt so that you can test your leadership capabilities with your people first?

The development recorded in the south east alone in the past four years surpasses that of the entire north
.
Individuals build nations, govt only create conducive environment, support and security. The same security the north is destroying.

Good one

in ice prince's voice "nobody fit enter my SPACE ooh" ....

Noted

If true, that is impressive. That means we are getting it right in at least one area.

ok o.. nice move..

That's great! In no time, other aspects of our economy will follow suit. An import dependent country can never grow.

How does this solve the rising hunger problem

Ehn... Should we now die

And in other news our presidency spends N1 billion on food, however been purportedly lowered to N494 million.

Dats good... We will get dere someday

A very good development, we need our balance of payment to b on the surplus side, Minimize importation to the bearest minimum and Maximize all potentials of exportation, our colleagues in the diaspora doing business with Nigerians would put up a straight face on this,sorry buh we need to step up and move to the next level, GOD BLESS NIGERIA!!

supporters of APC go still find space complain while the wise ones go use sense invest in the sector UP GEJ TILL 2019

GEJ is working.....APC is criticizing..... BH is bombing.No matter all thorns we shall get thr.Nice one Mr President.

nice one jona

Well, good news....but we are still importing. Still....kudos to the Agric Minister.

I guess we have to find ways to improve domestic food production further. Might be a good time to also look into domestic production of things like wheat, groundnuts,etc....for export. And we still import a lot of packaged food....not good.

I guess our aim should be that of being a net exporter of food.

Still ,good news.

And after dem haters go say GEJ no d work!!!


GEJ 2019 na u we know biko!!

If u no like am, Cameroon is not far!!!

God bless u sir for the uplift in our economy.
even the worst critics knows that u are performing but due to partisan politics,they wont accept.by d time u leave office by 2019,even the world will celebrate u

Should we call this a good or bad

Good!

Na Jeje.... I expect a 20% decrease by next year!

TRADELYN: How does this solve the rising hunger problem

A very stupid person sighted. Keep disgracing urself and d huge amt u're parents are investing on ur education. Do this country a huge favour by hugging the nearest transformer. Silly tin.