Rice vendors have expressed concerns over Nigerians’ unfriendly attitude to local rice. To them, it is expensive and of low quality.
The Nation learnt that the high cost of local rice is majorly responsible for the seemingly customers’ apathy to it. Since it is produced locally, it ought to be affordable, they reasoned.
Further checks by The Nation in various rice markets showed a 50kg bag of rice of Nigerian rice, depending on the brand, selling for between N13, 800 and N14, 500. To them, it is the same price with foreign parboiled rice.
A four-litre measure of Abakaliki rice sells for N1, 700, while the same quantity of another brand, such as Ofada, goes for N3, 500. This is a sharp difference in price to the parboiled or imported rice, which goes for between N1, 200 and N1, 350.
It is interesting to note that much as they are produced locally, they are mostly not seen in most markets visited in Lagos .The reason is not far-fetched: the demand is low as imported rice grains are most preferred by consumers.
Several reasons have been given for this. Top on the list is the fact that Nigerian rice are usually not well processed. Its a mixture of brans, stones and dirts.
Besides, it is reputed to be too starchy, which makes its cooking challenging. It turns soggy when cooked. This is a sharp contrast to a polished, imported rice.
To some rice traders, the local rice is a no go area for business as it represents bad investment. A trader in Iddo Rice Market, who identified himself as Martins, explained that customers rarely ask for local rice. “As a trader, profit is of utmost priority to me, hence, I cannot invest my money on local rice, considering the very low patronage it attracts,” he said.
Corroborating Martins, Blessing, another rice dealer at the same market, claimed that the Nigerian rice was a bad business for her. Pointing to some of the unsold bags of the Nigerian rice in her s hop, she said: “It has been over a month I bought this rice and there has not been an inquiry about its price, not to talk of buying from it. I have about 15 bags of this, I’m yet to even sell a bag,” she lamented.
Another rice dealer in Oyingbo Market, named Kayode, said though some Nigerians know about local rice, its near prohibitive price has made them to opt for a well polished parboiled rice as their choice.
He regretted that even when there was an increase in price of imported rice, locally produced ones could not take advantage of the price hike.
To some, its appearance and offensive odour when cooked put them off. Local rice, they said, is not pleasing to eyes. “Nigerian rice is not pleasing to the eye when cooked, as it becomes sticky and too soft.
“ If you cook it in the morning, by afternoon you will not be able to eat it. it will be come watery. Also, some, while after being cooked, they get harder. You need to boil it again before you can eat it, and most of these local rice are not suitable for occasions,” said a trader, Mrs. Adeola Ogundimu at Daleko Market. She also noted that it takes much effort to preserve the rice for a longer period as some of them cannot last beyond six months.
Indeed, rice production was intensified in 2015, following the ban on importation through the land border. This has encouraged more states such as Kebbi, Ebonyi, Kano, Abuja, Jigawa, Ekiti and Kaduna, among others, to engage in rice production. But not much success seem to have been achieved.
Though the traders commended the initiative of the country in producing its own rice, they advised that adequate efforts be made to improve the rice value chain to favorably compete with its foreign counterparts, adding that the price should be reduced.
Explaining why local rice is expensive, Mr Olugbenga Aladejebi, converner of Nigerian Rice Revolution, said the supply for local rice was still very low as the rice sector still needs more investment, infrastructure and equipments to expand its production. Besides, he said there was a need for much research and development to be done in the rice value chain. He called on Nigerians to endure the cost for a while as it is just a phase the country has to pass through to actualise its target of surplus production of home grown rice.
He also commended President Muhammadu Buhari for fast-tracking rice production by banning importation of foreign rice through the land borders and some programmes put in place to boost the sector. With these steps, he explained, rice production has increased from 2.5million metric tonnes in 2015 to 6-8million metric tonnes presently.
Corroborating Aladejebi, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) Vice President, Mr Segun Atho, advised Nigerians to exercise patient as farmers are doing their best to ensure more supply of rice in the market.
He urged rice processors to intensify efforts to brand the various local rice produced in the country with Nigerian logo for consumers to easily identify them.
“The government is doing its best. It is also going to put infrastuture in place for us to move ahead. We still have road problem, seed problem, and we still need more people to come on board so that we can have rice abundantly,” he said.
Atho advised Nigerians to desist from consuming foreign rice as most are smuggled and had overstayed their self life and not fit for consumption.