The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Godwin Emefiele, has said with the dwindling foreign reserve, the country cannot continue to import rice, hence President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive to focus on agriculture especially rice production.
Speaking during a visit to Ebonyi State, Emefiele appreciated the state government for responding to the President’s call, saying despite lack of fund from the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme, the state government used its own money to improve production.
Though the farmers were unable to access the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) support due to challenges in registering the farmers, the CBN governor, however reassured that with the dry season farming about to start, farmers in Ebonyi would access the facility.
Emefiele said with the support and commitment of the Ministry of Agriculture, machines would be available to farmers for harvest in the coming year. He also assured the farmers that challenges such as irrigation funding would be addressed.
The Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbe, has described the CBN Governor as revolutionary in his economic management strategy.
According to Ogbe, the CBN governor has etched his name in the annals of Nigeria’s economic management history as revolutionary with the rice revolution he started across the country.
The Ebonyi State governor, Dave Umahi, also commended the CBN governor for managing the economy of the nation in the face of global dwindling resources occasioned by plummeting oil prices.
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