The Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku said federal government has concluded plans to ban the importation of rice into Nigeria in 2015.

He said the move is to save the country from losing N360 billion spent annually on rice importation. The move is also to create jobs for the unemployed youths.

The minister also disclosed that about N450 billion has been set aside for commercial agriculture, saying federal government is working hard to increase the capacity of the Bank of Industry to achieve the goal.

Maku disclosed this in Birnin Kebbi while inspecting a N1 billion ultra-modern rice processing mill built by Labana Industries in the state.

He also said that the federal government under its new agriculture transformation agenda aims at creating about 2.4 million jobs by 2015, “the target is to ban rice importation by 2015.”