Abdullahi Zuru, GM,  Labana Rice Mills
By Abdallah el-Kurebe

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Markets II declared Labana Rice Mills, among other rice millers in Nigeria, as a reliable partner for sustainable economic growth.

Experts from the Agency, led by the Director of Economic Growth and Environment, Mr. Nduka Okaro are undergoing assessment tours to ascertain the Agency’s impact in the Northern part of the country.

During a visit to Labana Rice Mills in Birnin kebbi, Kebbi state, Okaro observed that the partnership between USAID and Labana Rice Mills had remarkably improved the economic wellbeing of rice farmers in the selected areas.

He stated that the modern rice farming techniques had impacted on the over 5, 000 farmers by the Agency and farming inputs provided by Labana had resulted in the increase in output from three to seven tonnes per hectare.

Okaro stressed that if the programme could be expanded to include other rice producing States, Federal Government’s commitment to self sufficiency in rice production, could be achieved.

He congratulated Labana Rice Mills for winning the award of second position at the just concluded 2016 National Agricultural Show, two years of entry into the rice milling business.

The General Manager of Labana Rice Mills, Abdullahi Idris Zuru expressed the company’s appreciation for the result-oriented partnership and assured that Labana Rice Mills would remain committed to the success of all agricultural programmes,  particularly under the on-going Anchor Borrowers programme initiated by the President.

Mr.  Okaro was accompanied on the tour by Sabi’u Awwal of Economic Growth Department; Aliyu Samaila of Agricultural Productivity Pepartment and Alhaji Suleiman, a Senior Program Manager (North)·

The team visited Augie, Argungu, Birnin Kebbi, Bunza, Jega, Suru and Shanga local government areas during the tour.