Abuja — The Nigerian Senate has intensified efforts to reduce the country’s $2 billion annual rice import bill by establishing a National Rice Development Council that will drive self-sufficiency and innovation across the rice value chain.
The bill, sponsored by Senator Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), seeks to create the Rice Development Council of Nigeria, a statutory body responsible for coordinating research, regulating production standards, supporting farmers, and promoting technological advancement in rice cultivation and processing.
Speaking at a public hearing on the bill — held alongside the Cassava Inclusion and Flour Production Bill and the National Food Reserve Agency Bill — Senate President Godswill Akpabio, represented by Senator Mohammed Monguno, Chief Whip of the Senate, said the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for agricultural and economic transformation.
> “The Rice Development Council of Nigeria Bill represents our economic firepower,” Akpabio said. “It is poised to create millions of jobs, reduce foreign exchange expenditure on rice importation, and position Nigeria as Africa’s leading rice producer.”
The proposed council is expected to serve as a central coordinating institution for policy development, investment mobilization, and farmer support across Nigeria’s rice-producing states, particularly in the north-west and middle-belt regions.
Agricultural experts have lauded the Senate’s move, describing it as a timely intervention to address Nigeria’s growing food import dependency and unlock the country’s vast potential in the rice industry.
Senate Pushes for National Rice Council to Boost Local Production and End $2bn Import Burden
