Index to Nigerian Newspapers

Stakeholders have criticised the launch of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) rice pyramid unveiled by President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, describing it as a political jamboree. They questioned the exclusion of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and other relevant research institutes, and alleged that part of the rice used to build the pyramid was imported from northern Cameroun, Cotonou, the Republic of Benin; Niger and Togo. An agriculture expert, Dr. Bello Musa, said the CBN and the handlers of the ABP must explain to Nigerians where the rice and maize they unveil in pyramids were cultivated, as insecurity in the major rice and maize producing states is forcing farmers to keep off farmlands. The National President of Maize Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria, Dr. Edwin Uche, said the pyramids are symbolic and to show that efforts are being made to ensure that maize is grown and that the challenges associated with maize farming are being addressed gradually.