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Rice farmers in Plateau are optimistic of a bumper harvest this year with their chairman, Joshua Bitrus, boasting that members would garner “ at least one million tonnes”.
“This year’s harvest is plentiful; from what we have seen on ground, we expect nothing less than one million tonnes of rice in Plateau,” Mr. Bitrus, Chairman, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RiFAN), Plateau chapter, said in Jos on Sunday.
He spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria.
The RiFAN chairman attributed the feat to personal efforts of the farmers and the support from the state government.
He commended the federal government’s efforts towards boosting rice production, and declared that rice production would tripple in Plateau, when the Anchor Borrowers Scheme takes off.
“I must commend government for the Anchor Borrowers Scheme, initiated by the Central Bank of Nigeria, which will be test-run in Plateau during the dry season farming.
“We have identified 1,065 hectares of land across the state; the areas are close to water because water is crucial to rice farming.
“The planting will commence in the first week of December, while harvest starts by March next year.”
(NAN)