Nasarawa Rice, “NASACCO GOLD” Will Boost Nigeria’s Food Security Drive – Gov. Sule

Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule has said “NASACCO GOLD”, the planned branded rice cultivated by the state government, would enhance the federal government’s food security drive.

“NASACCO GOLD”, an initiative of the state government in collaboration with Silvex International, a leading rice processing company, is expected to hit the market nationwide at the end of the ongoing harvest at the Jangwa and Agwatashi rice farm located at the boundary between Awe and Obi local government areas of the state.

Speaking while inspecting the harvest, Governor Sule said the processed product is expected to boost visibility and competitiveness of Nasarawa rice and contribute to the country’s food security.

“We will soon launch the NASACCO rice in Abuja after the harvest and milling of this year’s produce,” he said.

He said the effort was in tandem with President Bola Tinubu’s agricultural transformation agenda aimed at boosting food production and job creation.

The state government had cultivated 2000 hectares of rice during the last planting season from the 10,000 hectares acquired for the project. It further cultivated additional 1, 300 hectares this year, bringing the total cultivation to 3,300.

Governor Sule said the state government was targeting a total of 1.2 million bags of rice from the farm at the end of the ongoing harvest.

According to him, over 600,000 bags have already been harvested within two weeks of the exercise.

“This is about 50 per cent of the harvest so far, and we still have about two more weeks to the end of the harvest,” he stated.

He said transportation of harvested paddy to Abuja and Lokoja in Kogi State for milling and branding had already commenced.

He also said the state government was planning an expansion of the farm next season, adding that the clearing of the  targeted portion would begin after the ongoing harvest.