In what would be a major boost and a bold step towards self-sufficiency in rice production in Nigeria, Amarava Rice Mill, one of Nigeria’s leading indigenous milling company based in Kano has expressed the commitment to double its production capacity by September 2019.
The Kano-based Amarava Rice Mill which is the first end-to-end made-in-Nigeria rice mill (conceived, designed, manufactured, executed and installed using only Nigerian material and human resources), commissioned in the fall of 2017 by President Muhammadu Buhari, is set to receive a major boost to it’s production capacity by over 100 percent to the tune of 500 metric tonnes daily even as it is heavily investing in the expansion of its millers.
This was revealed in a media interview with the Chairman, Fullmark Group (parent company of Amarava Agro Processors Limited), Sriram Venkateswaran, who stated that the drive to boost capacity is geared towards promoting government diversification effort, reduce independence on the importation of rice and improve food security.
“Currently, we produce 250 metric tonnes of rice per day, and with the coming expansion of our millers, we are set to double this capacity. This serves as a positive reinforcement for our local rice farmers because they will increase hectares used for rice cultivation. Not only that, we are engaging more farmers who will be directly involved in the cultivation process thereby boosting the agricultural productivity of the Nigerian economy”, he noted.
He noted that the expansion of the millers beyond its current capacity is bound to generate more jobs both directly and indirectly across the country assuring that Nigeria is on the journey to attain its true status of the ‘food basket of Africa’.
Venkateswaran urged the government at all levels, particularly the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to continue in its support for the agricultural revolution underway, by committing more funding for agricultural investors and instituting enabling policies for local farming.
