Dangote Strategises For Rice Production

The President of
Dangote  Group, Aliko Dangote has said that he was set to going  full blast into rice production.
Dangote who stated this in Abuja recently at the signing  of an MoU with the Federal  Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said he was doing so to replicate what he did in cement and sugar production.
“I have seen it happen in other sectors and I can assure you that the  rice thing will be a very very big story,” he said.
According to Africa’s richest  man, in 2002, there was a policy that Nigeria would start importing cement with total  production standing at 2003 to January 2004 at 1.8 million tons.
He revealed that by ten years when the  policy was in place his company ensured that cement was  self-sufficient.
As at today, he said cement production in the country has gone up to 28 million tons, adding that “we  have moved from 1.8 million ton to 28 million tons.
“This August  alone we are adding 9 million tons and we will get to 37 million tons all within ten years,” he said.
He said his conglomerate  was able to demonstrate and remove the fear that agriculture was a poor man’s business considering  his successes in the sugar industry.
He noted that  engaging in farming and rice production  was by far much easier and also cheaper than cement.
Dangote  also explained that apart from making Nigeria self sufficient in rice, the project would also ensure that Nigeria exports rice,  because there was no  reason  not to do so.
He said the reason he wanted to move into agriculture  was because of the perception that  there was no money in it.