President Muhammadu Buhari has unveiled the largest rice pyramid located on the grounds of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) on Airport Road.
The pyramid which consists of one million rice paddy stocked in 15 separate pyramids was developed by the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria along side the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)
The bags of rice used for the occasion were cultivated and harvested across countries under the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP).
Under the Anchor Borrowers’ Program, one million bags of rice paddy were planted and gathered from states around the country to construct the rice pyramids. Farmers were asked to return the bags of rice paddy that made up the pyramids in exchange for cash in order to repay the loans they received under the ABP.
Five State Governors were in attendance Ekiti, Kayode Fayemi; Kebbi, Atiku Bagudu; Cross River, Prof. Ben Ayade; Ebonyi, David Umayi and that of Jigawa, Abubakar Badaru .
The CBN’s Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) started in November 2015 with the objective of providing aid to farmers and influencing the value chain of various commodities in Nigeria.
PHOTO: Sodiq Adelakun/Channels TV