The federal government is ready to support adire, a locally-produced fabric, with some form of subsidy to enhance its production.

The minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation, Betta Edu, disclosed this to journalists on Saturday during her visit to the Adire mall at Itoku in Abeokuta.

Mrs Edu, who also visited the fabric’s production grounds at Asero, said the government would create an industrial hub across the country to further boost revenue for market women.

She, therefore, assured market women of the government’s intention to ensure the fabric became known around the world.

”This is why there is a need for government to ban the importation of foreign adire products.

“First, you must be able to push local production to meet the demand. Local production must be enhanced at all costs to meet the demand.

“When local product is enhanced, subsided and supported by government, it will automatically eliminate whatever infiltration comes into the market.

“We do not want to be selling fake adire, made-in-China adire brought into Nigeria. What we want is the local one made by our people,” the minister said.

She pointed out that this would create jobs, build the micro and macro economy and help Nigeria to be more of a manufacturing country than an importing country.

“These are the things that are affecting the exchange rates. Government will provide that subsidy for the people.

“Since we took the subsidy off fuel, we will provide it for the adire makers so that they can provide local adire that will be used and exported out of the country,” Mrs Edu said.

She appreciated Gov. Dapo Abiodun of Ogun, whom she said had promised that the state would create hubs in Abuja where the original adire would be sold.

“It is another opportunity to showcase the fabric to the world.

“Our adire is a precious fabric all over the world; people recognise and identify with it.

“So, we can build the local production and ensure that more people make money for themselves and their families,” the minister said.

(NAN)