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Thousands of rice growers in three states in Nigeria’s northern region will be getting support from Dangote to grow rice for the company’s rice supply arm. This arrangement is part of Dangote’s Rice Outgrower Scheme which will see 25,000 hectares of farmland cultivated and about 50,000 farmers engaged.

Dangote announced in a press release on Monday that it would be flagging off the scheme in Sokoto within the week. Under the scheme, it will be partnering with small holder and contract rice farmers to cultivate and grow rice paddy. The farmers will be provided with inputs, technical assistance, extension services and land preparation services. The harvest from the farmers will be bought by Dangote for milling, processing and packaging.

The press statement from Dangote says that the organization wants to have 25,000 hectares under rice cultivation by the end of 2017. Sokoto is expected to contribute 10,000 hectares; two other states, Zamfara and Jigawa, will contribute 10,000 and 5,000 hectares respectively. The farms are to add 225,000 metric tonnes to Nigeria’s annual rice production output by the end of the year.

Dangote is targeting an eventual output of one million metric tonnes of rice from 150,000 in the next five years.

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This article was first published on 13th February 2017

ikenna-nwachukwu

Ikenna Nwachukwu holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He loves to look at the world through multiple lenses- economic, political, religious and philosophical- and to write about what he observes in a witty, yet reflective style.

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