Nigeria now 2nd largest rice producer in the world - Presidency

Nigeria is now the second largest rice producer in the world, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, has proclaimed.

He said this at a special interactive session with the youths organized by Citizens Support for Good Governance in Nigeria (SGGN) in Abuja during the weekend.

“No country will develop when you have to import virtually everything, including tooth pick and tissue paper. All the food we eat in this country was being imported. So, all of the money earned was just going to buy food.

“But as I speak to you now, Nigeria just achieved the record of the second largest producer of rice in the world. The rice revolution just started a year ago. Some of you from Nasarawa know the kind of things going on there. A newspaper did an investigation in Kebbi and they found out that there were 48,000 new millionaires in Kebbi state alone last year for growing rice.

“This over-reliance on oil has killed this country and we cannot continue like this. So, the diversification of the economy means more money will be in the hands of ordinary Nigerians. And there will be widespread prosperity all over the country.”