The Federal Government has said it will organise rice trade fair in Abuja, Lagos Enugu and Rivers States in order to show the bountiful harvest of Nigerian rice.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh disclosed this recently in Abuja when he held a meeting with Rice Farmers Association in Nigeria, RIFAN.
He said: “We are going to meet in about two weeks and organise rice fair beginning in Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Port Harcourt and one or two other cities to showcase the achievements of Nigerian in rice production.”
“There are those who do not believe that Nigerian rice exist but we know they do and we are very proud of the millers for their tenacity, investments and pains they have gone through in the last few years in trying to respond to a national call,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Bukar Hassan has retired from civil service.
Mr Hassan’s retirement is in accordance with the civil service rules, stipulating 35 years of service.
Minister of State for Agriculture, Heineken Lokpobiri, praised Bukar, describing him as “a rare species” and was also christened a man of “integrity, humility, kindness and outstanding legacies.
Mr Hassan began his civil service career in 1983 and completed a full service of 35 years.
He handed over the mantle to the next most senior director in the ministry, Director of Finance & Accounts, Idris Mamman.
