The proud governor said that his state is big and enterprising enough to cater for the rice needs of Nigeria only if the federal government could remove waiver on it.
Dailypost reports that Governor Oshiomhole said this to the state house correspondents in Abuja on Friday, September 18. This is coming just against the backdrop of the National Economic Council’s decision to promote local production of food crops in states with comparative advantage on them.
“Edo could do a lot if the Federal Government has coherent agricultural policies that do not provide the window for waivers, and expired rice and cheap rice to be dumped on Nigeria,” he stated.
Oshiomhole complained about the waiver granted rice importers by Jonathan’s administration, saying it has resulted in the dumping of various goods in the country which has made local producers of food items, including rice, to go out of business. This is not the first time the governor will throw swipes at the former president as he had earlier blamed Goodluck Jonathan for Edo state’s misery.
Governor Oshiomhole said that large scale rice millers in Edo State were already waiting to see if a new policy that favours local production will be implemented before they would return to the farms. He also said that Dangote Group had acquired about 50,000 hectares of land for rice farming in the state and was enthusiastic to go into massive rice farming with the right policies in place.
Meanwhile, Elder Godsay Peter Orubebe recently slammed Governor Oshiomhole of for his inciting statement against former president Goodluck Jonathan describing the comrade as a “villa sycophant” who is willing to switch allegiance to anyone is in power.
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