Buhari Unveils Rice Pyramids in Abuja to Boost Food Security

By Adedapo Adesanya

Towards the federal government’s plan to boost local food production and food security, President Muhammadu Buhari has unveiled rice pyramids comprising one million bags of paddy rice in Abuja on Tuesday.

Considered to be the biggest of its type in Africa, the pyramids are located on the grounds of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) on Airport Road.

The one million rice paddy stacked in 15 separate pyramids at the ACCI is in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) with the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN).

The bags of rice were planted and harvested from states across the country under the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP).

Five State Governors, including Ekiti’s Mr Kayode Fayemi; Kebbi’s Mr Atiku Bagudu; Cross River’s Mr Ben Ayade; Ebonyi’s Mr David Umayi and that of Jigawa, Mr Abubakar Badaru were in attendance.

Under the apex bank’s ABP, one million bags of rice paddy were planted and gathered from states around the country to construct the rice pyramids.

Farmers were then asked to return the bags of rice paddy that made up the pyramids in exchange for cash in order to repay the loans they received under the scheme.

The CBN’s farm loan initiative started in November 2015 with the goal of providing aid to farmers and influencing the value chain of various commodities in Nigeria.