By Kehinde Oluwatayo
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Rice farmers in Ondo State have declared that they have all it takes to boost indigenous rice production in the state and surpass states such as Kebbi and Jigawa if given maximum attention and cooperation.

Reacting to a US report that indigenous rice production in Nigeria has increased by 400,000 tonnes, President of Sunshine Rice Farmers and Processors, Prince George Oladapo said a whole lot of the increase must have come from the North especially Kebbi and Jigawa states.

While saying the state has the natural land that is suitable for rice production and might not even need irrigation, Oladapo said states like Kebbi, Jigawa and parts of Sokoto depend on irrigation for their production.

Oladapo who said the major challenge of the farmers the state is processing noted that the state does not have the mill adding that government needs the political will to bring mill to the state.

He said that indigenous rice production in the state has increased but bulk of what is produced in the state goes into paddy rice for other mills to access.

” In Ondo state we have been able to boost our production but not up to that. Bulk of that must have come from the North especially Kebbi and Jigawa. I know that Kebbi made a turn over of 1.5billion in essence of revenue generation

“We have all it takes to boost rice production here but we are yet to receive maximum attention and cooperation of government .

We have all the enabling environment, but we need the political will to bring a mill here” he said.

He equally identified access to fund as another challenge militating against rice farmers in the state.

Oladapo who said individual farmer can not afford interest rate of the commercial banks stated that bureautic bottlenecks in accessing loans from banks like bank of agriculture, bank of industry and CBN will not allow a peasant farmer to access their loan.

Stressing that the state has all its takes to boost rice production, Oladapo said there are 10,000 hectares of land at Uso ready for cultivation.