The Government of Benin Republic sent a delegation to seek President Muhammadu Buhari’s intervention for Nigeria to assist the nation in producing rice. The move aims to abolish the smuggling and rice importation in the two countries.
The delegation sent met with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, at Abuja’s presidential villa. Led by Benin’s Minister of Agriculture, Gaston Cossi Dossouhoui, the delegation was ushered into the villa by the Kebbi State Governor and Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu and Mrs Zainab Ahmed, respectively.
After the meeting, Bagudu, the chairman of the Progressive Governor’s Forum, revealed that the delegation and Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria met with the (CoS) to promote ongoing talks between the two nations to replicate Nigeria’s rice farming programme in the Benin Republic. He said the move could result in the abolishment of rice importation to West Africa.
According to the Chairman, “Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria met with the chief of staff to the president to progress the discussion which has been going on between them and the Benin Republic for the two countries to replicate the success of Nigeria’s rice farming programme in Benin so that we can stop rice importation in west Africa in shortest possible time.”
He added, “This is a partnership within the framework of ECOWAS agreement and the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement and our brotherly relationship between President Muhammadu Buhari and President Patrice Tallon, who have the safe vision that we can be greater together.”
Aminu Goronyo, the National President of Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, explained that the Benin Government desires to learn and gain experience from Nigeria in sustainable rice production.
Goronyo said, “They have decided to come to Nigeria because of our successes in the area of rice production, and their President was so happy, he was excited. He said they must come to Nigeria, partner with Nigerian rice farmers and see how Nigerian farmers can replicate the same thing in the Benin Republic so that they will record such successes this government recorded in the area of rice production.”
When asked what Nigeria can teach them, he said: “Benin republic is our sister country, we are the same people, and I think their President is ready to accept what we have used to achieve these successes, which is the government’s will because our successes are related with the political will that this government has. That is exactly what they want to learn so that they will use the same approach to attain the successes they are seeing to come to us to learn more.”
The rice farmers in both countries have agreed to boost rice farming in the Benin Republic; the national body of RIFAN was located in Cotonou, the nation’s capital, on President Patrice Tallon’s invitation for discussion on how the MoU would be laid-out and signed.
The President received the delegation in his Residential House in Cotonou and his Minister of Agriculture and that of Foreign Affairs. Alhaji Aminu Goronyo, RIFAN’s National President, briefed the nation’s President about the Association success and how it has transformed and revolutionalised rice production in Nigeria. He added the country could leverage Nigeria’s success story to feed itself and export surpluses to the neighbouring countries.
Goronyo further explained, “We carefully designed a template that was adopted by the Central Bank of Nigeria and accepted by President Muhammadu Buhari, which eventually has made Nigeria a rice self-sufficient nation.”
“Over 12 million farmers are working with us to produce most of the rice paddy the country needs,” he also stated.
President Talon said the closure of Nigerian Borders served as an opener to the country; this informed the nation’s readiness to work with Nigeria in stopping the smuggling of rice. He admitted that Nigeria is an advanced the country in terms of agriculture in Africa and that his country is ready to learn from Nigeria through RIFAN.
In his words, “The recent border closure is an opportunity for the two counties to collaborate better in agricultural trade. “This will promote the two countries economic development, unity and wellbeing of our people.”
