Nigeria makes significant strides producing high-quality rice for consumers ─Stakeholders

*Consumers can now access excellent quality rice produced from the world-class milling facilities…. This turnaround can be attributed mainly to the consistency in the rice policy and its proper implementation by the Federal Government of Nigeria, says Reji George, Head of Farming Initiatives, Olam Nigeria   

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

Stakeholders in the rice farming sub-sector of the economy have said Nigeria’s rice industry has made significant strides in respect of ensuring increased productivity and production volumes of Small-Holder Farmers (SHFs) for food security in the country.

ConsumerConnect gathered the industry players noted this positive development has led to increasing the profitability of rice growing, as processors are getting sustainable volumes of high-quality paddies for their mills.

Mr. Reji George, Head of Farming Initiatives, Olam Nigeria, who led the establishment of Olam’s fully-integrated, Africa’s largest mechanised commercial farm and milling facility at Rukubi, in Nasarawa State, and its massive out-grower scheme, said Nigeria’s rice sector had made significant strides.

Mr. Reji George, Head of Farming Initiatives, Olam Nigeria

According to Mr. George, this is noticeable in respect of increased productivity and production volumes of SHFs, thereby increasing the profitability of rice farming, and processors were equally getting sustainable volumes of high-quality paddies for their mills.

He stated that sustainable paddies remain a great factor to consider before establishing a rice mill, indicating that springing up of more mills was attributable to available and potential great volume of paddies, report said.

George also stated: “And consumers can now access excellent quality rice produced from the world-class milling facilities coming up in the past few years.

“This turnaround can be attributed mainly to the consistency in the rice policy and its proper implementation, by the Federal Government of Nigeria.”

Insecurity affecting rice farmers, millers, consumer price

Afis Oladejo, a rice miller and Managing Director of Vertex Rice, in Lokoja, Kogi State capital also explained to The Guardian that the policies of the government on local rice production, processing and consumption, to a great extent, had triggered establishment of new and upgrade of existing rice mills and local rice consumption in the economy.

Oladejo said: “But insecurity on farms around rice-producing belts has led to scarcity and high price of paddies.

“Insecurity is not only a threat to life but also to food security. It is affecting rice farmers, millers and consumers by driving price of rice up.”

The expert and Vertex Rice Chief, however, urged the Nigerian Armed Forces and the Police to work harder on internal security of life and property to enhance farmers’ productivity and complement the various agro-economic policies of the Federal Government.

In his submission, Joshua Jonathan, Chairman of Bukan Sidi-Lafia Rice Innovation Platform (IP), in Nasarawa State and National President of Association of Small-Scale Agro Producers in Nigeria (ASSAPIN), also said policies, ranging from limited Foreign Exchange (Forex) for food imports, closure of some land borders to supporting smallholder farmers, had improved rice productivity.

These, according to him, are noticeable in terms of quantity, quality, and increased consumption of locally-produced rice in Nigeria in recent times.

“Before now, our scale of production is small – between 1.5 and 2.0 metric tonnes per hectare, but now, Nigerian farmers’ production average yield is between 4.0 -6.0Mt/ha with improved seeds, new production practices, CBN’s Anchor Borrowers’ (Programme) support scheme.

“Other initiatives like off-takers’ arrangements, availability of farmer-friendly small-scale improved technologies, especially in pre and post-harvest handling areas have improved greatly the country’s parboiled milled rice.”

Jonathan further stated that importation restriction has helped Nigerians to see the need to invest in agriculture, particularly in the rice sub-sector with large farms, more and bigger processing mills being opened around the country.

“This has greatly improved our production capacity and also boosted Nigerians’ desire for home-made rice. In terms rice production, Nigeria is on track,” said he.

While seeking more to be done in the area of extension service delivery to farmers to sustain the gains, Jonathan said: “There are inadequate extension workers to push the new innovations and technologies to smallholder farmers.

“Small-holder farmers are producing 70 to 80 percent of present Nigeria’s rice. They need more support to continue to produce at the economic levels.

“Therefore, the government needs to invest more in the sector by making more budgetary allocations to the rice sub-sector to enable farmers to reduce production cost.”