A veteran gospel singer, Kenny Saint Best, has disclosed her plans to venture into agro produce in rice distribution and marketing . She hinted that she would be investing on a massive stall, which would be unveiled later in the year and that she was putting finishing touches on the plans, adding that “very soon, I am going to open a rice stall. We are stocking different types of rice but I wouldn’t disclose further than that.” The singer diversified into food business last year. She is set to take her business to the next level by opening a stall that sells rice only. Meanwhile, the Chairman of Silverbird Group, Senator Ben Bruce, has continued his campaign for the patronage of Nigeria’s homegrown products as he charged Nigerians to jettison imported rice for the locally produced ones.
The senator, who posted his picture eating a popular and investment friendly variety of rice called ofada on his facebook page, said Nigerians have to appreciate and promote their own products to grow their economy. In a comment attached to the post, he lamented the huge expenditure on rice importation and its impact on the economy as against the country’s local heritage. He commented, “Every single blessed day, Nigeria spends N1billion on imported rice. Imagine the impact on the value of the Naira if we spent that amount on our local and delicious ofada rice. #BuyNaijaToGrow- TheNaira” It would be recalled that the need to boost Nigeria’s economy by patronising made-in- Nigeria products has been on the front burner and the Bayelsa born senator has been unapologetic in pursuing that campaign.
The ofada rice farmers were urged to think towards striking a partnership with the House of Assembly on patronage. Meanwhile, the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, RiFAN, said that it had launched the `Operation Produce More and Eat Nigerian Rice’ campaign as part of efforts to boost local production and consumption. The South-West Zonal Coordinator, Mr. Segun Athoh disclosed in Lagos that rice farmers had the dedication and ability to improve production. Athoh said that the association was already clearing and preparing the lands in the Badagry area of the state to grow rice. “We are presently on the farm now doing land preparations to grow rice in Badagry, Lagos.
What I will advise Nigerians, according to my slogan, is: Operation produce more and eat Nigerian rice. “We have the dedication, ability and discipline to achieve this, so that we can match other nations shoulder to shoulder. “It is high time Nigerians changed their pattern of feeding; if we can grow rice, wheat, guinea corn and many others, there is nothing bad to eat our own. Nobody will query us for eating our local produce, we have to change our pattern and look inward,’’ he said. The coordinator, however, urged the Federal Government to do more in terms of direct funding. He said it was high time for everybody to have a sober reflection on the state of agriculture in the country, appealing to people to start farming in their own capacity in order to make foods available in large quantity for consumption.