Agriculture
Abakaliki Rice Millers Threaten Strike
Rice millers at
Abakaliki Rice Mill Company have threatened to stop work if the state government persists with its threat to forcefully relocate them.
The chairman of the mill, Chief Joseph Ununu who made this known to our correspondent at the weekend said his association was reacting to the state governor’s recent statement that the environmental status of the mill made the rice unhygienic.
“This relocation issue is distracting us, we will be forced to down tools to see whether the government will be pleased,” he said.
According to him, the millers would mill enough rice and preserve in order to sustain their families and gather all the mill on daily basis without doing anything.
Ununu said there had been any reported case of ill health caused by the consumption of rice prepared by them.
He said environmental experts continually assess their surroundings and have always certified them fit for operation.
“The governor (Elechi) buys our rice always; he used our rice for campaigns during his first and second tenures,” he said.
The millers boss further explained that the rice used by local government chairmen and traditional rulers to pay him homage were all from the Abakaliki Rice Mill.
He noted that the millers would readily relocate to any site if facilities that would enable them to operate optimally were provided.
“Our machines do not operate under the sun or rain, so we need facilities where we will install the machines and preserve our produce.”
“The new mills constructed by the government are not yet functional and do not have the necessary facilities that will make us relocate from our present site” he said.
Federal Government and the Ogun State Government, on Wednesday, distributed farm inputs to farmers as part of effort to address food security challenge.
The State Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Toyin Ayo-Ajayi, during the flag-off ceremony of Inputs Redemption Under The National Agricultural Growth Scheme-Agro Pocket (NAGS-AP), in Ogun State, disclosed that beneficiaries of the gesture were primarily rice, maize and cassava farmers across the State.
Ayo-Ajayi commended the Ogun State Government for partnering with the government at the centre for the effort in supporting farmers with inputs that would bring about yieldings for local consumption and likely exportation.
She noted that government is supporting rice, cassava and maize farmers with inputs worth N212,000; N189,000 and N186,000 respectively.
The Permanent Secretary in the State Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs Kehinde Jokotoye, who represented the Commissioner in the Ministry, Bolu Owotomo, stated that traditional farmers are critical in food production, hence the need to encourage and support them with inputs that would bring about desired results during harvesting.
Owotomo said: “Let us make good use of this opportunity, so that the success of this phase will make farmers benefit more from the state and federal governments of Nigeria.”
Earlier, State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Oluwatoyin Ayo-Ajayi, appreciated the present administration for partnering with the federal government for the initiative, adding that the programme is designed to support farmers at the grassroots level in cassava, rice and maize with inputs such as, seeds, pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, to boost their production and enhance their livelihood.