A rice farmer, Mr
Umuye Ajoku, has called for serious planting  of rice in the Niger Delta area.
Ajoku who spoke to our correspondent in Port Harcourt last Monday, said the Niger Delta area of the country has potential for a more serious cultivation of the crop.
According to him, rice grows well in marshy areas of the Delta even as he said local farmers in the area have recorded good harvests in such ventures.
Speaking further, he said in the 1970s, Peremabiri in the old Rivers State boasted of tangible rice farming and output.
He said the federal and state governments could harness the sector through accelerated programmes by budgetary allocation to the sector.
Ajoku who claimed to be an experimenter of rice production in the Niger Delta said overtime he has made reasonable harvests in such venture.
However, a respondent, Mr Luke Mba told our correspondent that the move by Ajoku if pursued was capable of moving the country from a  mono product economy to a diversified agricultural-base economy.
According to him, the trend whereby government depend solely on its economic activity was counterproductive.
He said instances abound where economies of other countries have done well in the agricultural sector without oil.
Mba stated further that governments should strive to implement the budgets especially in the agricultural sector  in order to ensure food security in the nation.