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Tag: rice

  • Osun can produce rice for Southwest – Aregbesola

    Osun can produce rice for Southwest – Aregbesola

    The Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on Thursday confirmed the claims of a research that the state has the capacity to meet the rice needs of the South West.

    The Governor made this observation during a visit to Onilapa to meet with rice farmers to discuss ways of improving output and packaging of local rice in the state.

    “Two days ago, I was in Onilapa to meet with rice farmers to discuss ways of improving output and packaging of local rice in the state.

    “New research has shown that the state of Osun has enough capacity to meet the rice needs of the South West.

    Aregbesola Ofada“Our government will continue to provide support for these local farmers until they reach the target of 20 tonnes per hectare.

    “We are working closely with various research institutes to offer insight and ideas to rural farmers towards improving their capacity.

    People of Onilapa in Osun State

    “Our intervention in agriculture did not begin today as we have prioritised the welfare of these rural farmers from the get-go. This is why we willfully up took the task of opening up our rural areas through the construction of roads

    “Under our Rural Access and Mobility Project (ORAMP), we have constructed 10km of roads in all LGAs totalling 310km across the state,” he said.

  • Dangote to launch 25,000 hectares of rice outgrowers scheme in Sokoto

    Dangote Rice, a subsidiary of Dangote Group, is to launch in Sokoto, Sokoto State, its multi-million naira 25, 000 hectares of rice outgrowers scheme, with a prospect of hundreds of thousands of jobs for rural communities’ residents.

    The group’s President, Aliko Dangote, said at the weekend the company would on Wednesday launch a pilot project of 500 ha by Gonroyo dam, in Goronyo community.

    Gonroyo dam is the second largest in the country, after Kainji.

    The ceremony, to be performed by Governor Aminu Tambuwa, will witness seedlings being distributed to local farmers, who will plant the seed after which Dangote Rice Company will buy from them for milling and final processing.

    Sokoto State is the second after Jigawa of the 14 states spread across the area where Dangote Rice plans to operate outgrower scheme to empower local farmers and create job opportunities for rural dwellers and reduce migration to the cities.

    Dangote Rice projects in the states, when operational, will generate jobs and increase income for smallholder farmers, while diversifying Nigeria’s economy and reducing the nation’s food import bill.

    Statistics fArom the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) estimate rice demand in Nigeria reached 6.3 million MT in 2015, with only 2.3 million MT of that demand satisfied by local production.

    This local production shortfall leaves a gap of 4.0 million MT that is being filled through formal importation of rice or illegal imports over land borders.

    By end of this year, Dangote Rice plans to produce 225,000 MT of parboiled, milled white rice. This will allow us to satisfy four per cent of the total market demand within one year. Our model can then be successfully scaled to produce 1,000,000 MT of milled rice in order to satisfy 16 per cent of the domestic market demand for rice in the next five years.

    Due to the economic crisis, domestic prices for agro-commodities have risen in the last 12 months, making local agriculture an attractive investment.

    Dangote Rice Ltd seeks to take advantage of this economic trend and the favourable policies laid out in the FMARD’s Agricultural Transformation Agenda.

    Dangote Rice has a mandate to local, high-quality milled, parboiled rice for the Nigerian market. This goal will be achieved by sourcing the raw material (paddy) required from the Dangote Rice Outgrower Scheme.

    Through the Dangote Rice Outgrowers Scheme, DRL will partner outgrowers (smallholder and contract rice farmers) to cultivate and grow rice paddy. DRL will provide input, technical assistance, extension services and land preparation services and equipment to farmers. At harvest, DRL will recoup the costs of input and services and will act as a guaranteed offtaker for paddy that meets certain pre-agreed quality standards. Smallholder farmers will provide land and labour.

     

  • Rice farmer urges govt to provide land for farming

    The Chairman, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) in Delta State, Chief Silvanus Ejezie, has urged the government to provide land in the wetland for dry season farming.

    Ejezie, who spoke in an interview yesterday with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Asaba, said the association identified wetland in the state suitable for all-year farming.

    He advised the government to procure such areas, clear and allocate them to farmers for farming.

    Ejezie said the association proposed a release of five hectares by every local government for the cultivation of rice, to boost food production.

    He said unlike in the North, there were no dams in the South to encourage all-year farming.

    “Our challenge for not going into all-year farming is because we do not have dams like our counterparts in the North.

    “Engaging in dry season farming here is a trial. But if the government encourages the 25 councils to provide land for rice cultivation, Delta will produce more rice.

    “If the government helps to clear such wetland in Ndokwa and other parts of the state, it will support dry season farming and boost rice production.

    “By so doing, the cost of farming will be reduced and we can make more progress,” the chairman said.

    He said at present, rice farmers managed to engage in dry season cultivation by irrigating farmlands with water from boreholes.

    He said the practice was challenging and expensive due to high cost of fuel to power pumping machines.

    On the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN’s) Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP), he said participating farmers, who had been trained, were hoping and waiting for the funds to be released.

    NAN recalls that the CBN in 2016 began pilot phase of the programme with rice production in Kebbi State.

    The ABP aims at creating economic linkages between over 600,000 smallholder farmers and reputable large-scale processors, to increase agricultural output and improve capacity utilisation of integrated mills.

    It is also expected to close the gap between the levels of local rice production and domestic consumption, as well as complement the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) Scheme of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture by graduating GES farmers from subsistence farming to commercial production.

     

  • Africa: Rice farmers lose $200m to parasitic weeds yearly

    Africa: Rice farmers lose $200m to parasitic weeds yearly

    A team of researchers, representing the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and Wageningen University, has raised the alarm over the enormous economic impact of parasitic weeds on rice production in Africa, threatening the food security and livelihoods of millions of resource-poor rice farmers and consumers in the region. The weeds threaten rice production in at least 28 countries on the continent that have rain-fed rice systems.

    The most affected countries are Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone Tanzania and Uganda.

    The team  said smallholder farmers are losing every year half a million tonnes of rice worth about $200 million because of the weeds. Parasitic weeds are among the most destructive and problematic weeds to control. “When these plants invade food crops, they turn into ferocious weeds,” said Agronomist at AfricaRice, Dr Jonne Rodenburg. The most important parasitic weed species in rice are Striga asiatica, S. aspera, S. hermonthica and Rhamphicarpa fistulosa.

    They are all endemic to Africa and can also parasitise other cereal crops like maize, sorghum and millet. The team of researchers reveal that these parasitic weeds, which survive by siphoning off water and nutrients from host crops, have invaded 1.34 million hectares of rain-fed rice in Africa, affecting an estimated 950,000 rural households. They are increasingly becoming severe due to an intensification of agricultural production and climate changes.

    The areas affected by parasitic weeds are home to some of the world’s poorest farmers. Studies by AfricaRice and partners have shown that parasitic weeds seem to predominantly affect women farmers in Africa as they are often forced to grow rice on the most marginal and parasitic weed-infested plots. The researchers warn that these parasites are spreading fast in the rainfed rice area and if nothing is done to stop them in their tracks, the damage will increase by about US $30 million a year.

    Rice is the second most important source of calories in Africa. It is also critical for smallholder incomes. Demand for rice is growing at a rate of more than 6% per year – faster than for any other food staple in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), because of changes in consumer preferences and urbanisation. Rice production is increasing across SSA, but the continent still imports some 40 per cent  of its rice.

    AfricaRice and its partners have been investigating and developing efficient parasitic weed management strategies that are affordable and feasible for resource-poor rice farmers.

  • Rice: BUA targets one million tonnes

    Rice: BUA targets one million tonnes

    •Firm partners Jigawa, Kano, others 

    BUA Rice Ltd, a subsidiary of BUA Group, plans to drive its rice processing capacity from 200,000 to one million tonnes in the next four years.

    BUA’s rice mill, supplied by world renowned Satake Japanese Technology, is the largest in the country.

    The Group Executive Director, BUA Group, Alhaji Kabiru Rabiu, said BUA remained committed to the government’s resolve to reduce the nation’s dependence on imported rice by boosting local capacity to produce, process and package rice locally.

    He added that the private sector-led partnership would also support rice farmers to take advantage of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Anchor Borrowers Scheme, while BUA would  support the value chain by ensuring that its milling facilities are utilised optimally.

    Rabiu also said BUA Group was  seeking to support the government in establishing another 200,000 tonnes rice processing plant on the banks of the Hadejia River Basin in Auyo, Jigawa State.

    He praised the President Muhammadu Buhari administration for driving a ‘Nigeria first policy’ in agric, the CBN for providing an enabling environment for farmers to access finance as well as the Kano and Jigawa state governments for their support in ensuring the initiative came to fruition.

    Kano State Rice Farmers Association Chairman praised BUA Group for initiating the deal, declaring that the state alone had over 500,000 rice farmers with over 40,000 of them registered with the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN).

    He was optimistic that the initiative would see improved yields as well as reduce wastage caused by insufficient processing and storage facilities.

  • Don’t allow rice, vehicles through Seme, Customs men told

    Don’t allow rice, vehicles through Seme, Customs men told

    The Zonal Coordinator, Zone ‘A’ of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Assistant Comptroller-General Monday Abueh, has urged officers at the Seme and Idiroko/Ogun Area Commands to block the coming of rice and vehicles into the country.
    During his familiarisation tour of Seme and Idiroko/Ogun Area Commands yesterday, he said the Comptroller-General, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) and the Customs Management had redeployed officers in Seme and Idiroko Area Commands to ensure that nothing passed through all routes there.
    His visit, he said, was to continue reminding officers of the Federal Government’s polices as well as the directive given by the comptroller-general to ensure security and protection of lives in the country.
    “Officers should be mindful of their duties and responsibilities as you embark on your primary assignment. If you are careless in your duties and if you are caught, you will be held responsible for your action. A total of 661 pump-action rifles were intercepted and you will ask why the container came out of the port. Investigation is ongoing and at the end of it, somebody will go for it,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quotes Abueh as saying.
    He advised them not to assign their duties to someone else, adding that officers must engage in thorough search before given clearance to any consignment.
    Abueh said officers could still collect revenue through general goods coming through the borders.
    The assistant comptroller-general urged officers to ensure collection of duties on those general goods.
    At Ogun Area Command, Abueh commended the synergy between Customs officers and other sister agencies, adding that collaboration was the key to combat security and other aspects of insecurity in the country.
    The zonal coordinator said officers and sister agencies were working together to keep the country safe from unwholesome practices.
    He advised officers to be strict in joint examination of goods, adding that any mistake on the part of officers would lead to serious punishment by the management.
    Abueh said there was no reversal of the Federal Government’s policy banning vehicles and rice through the borders area.
    He said there was need to work with the interest of the country at heart, adding that all security agencies should not allow any smuggled item into the country.
    Abueh praised officers and men of Ogun Area Command for being on top of their duties and pleaded that they should not relent in their efforts in combating smuggling to the barest minimum.
    The Customs Area Controller (CAC), Seme, Comptroller Victor Dimka, instructed officers to make use of the advice given by the zonal coordinator to assist them to excel in their career.
    The Customs Area Controller (CAC), Ogun Area Command, Comptroller Hassan Gangua, said that there was synergy between Customs officers and sister agencies which led to seizure of five vehicles of 2015 model and 1,000 motorcycles used to smuggle rice.
    Gangua said that the vehicles were intercepted along Alari border, Idiroko, adding that the seizures were made on Sunday, Jan. 29, following the Federal Government’s ban on importation of vehicles and rice through the land borders.

  • SON confisticates 1,000 bags of underweighed rice in Osogbo

    SON confisticates 1,000 bags of underweighed rice in Osogbo

    The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) in Osun says it confiscated more than 1,000 underweighed bags of rice in Osogbo markets on Monday.

    Mr Sunday Badewole, the SON State Coordinator, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Osogbo on Tuesday.

    Badewole said the agency made the confiscation during the enforcement operation where more than 1,000 bags of 5kg, 10kg and 25kg of bags of rice were confiscated.

    He said many of the rice sellers had reduced the quantity of rice from the kilogrammes that were indicated on the bags, to make more money.

    Badewole said the observation carried out by the enforcement team of the agency in the markets during the raid revealed that rice sellers would remove some measures from the bags of rice and seal it back for sale.

    He said the quantities removed would thereafter be repackaged in another bag, sealed and sold to buyers.

    Badewole said the rice sellers confessed that they used to buy empty rice bags from Lagos to repackage the quantities that was stolen from the original bags.

    “Based on the information from our operations directorate headquarters that under weighed bags of rice were in circulation, we went to the market with our scale.

    “But it is very unfortunate that many of these small bags of rice have been reduced by the sellers to make more gain,’’ he said.

    Badewole said all the shops where the underweighed rice were found had been sealed and put on hold.

    He, however, said the confiscated bags of rice would not be destroyed but rather rectification and would be carried out by the sellers under the supervision of SON’s enforcement unit.

    “Since the intention is not to further destroy the economic strength, the option we will probably put forward is rectification and fine.

    “That is, we will ensure that all the bags of rice that were underweighed are filled up to the normal kilogrammes under our supervision, before they are put up for sale, because that is what the standard says,’’ he said.

    Badewole said any rice sellers that refused to carryout rectification would forfeit all the underweighed rice to SON.

    He noted that the exercise was a continuous one, and warned rice sellers against shortchanging people.

    “I want to warn rice sellers to always ensure that their bags contain the right quantity of the produce.

    “They should stop deceiving people and allow people to have value for their money,’’ he said.

    Badewole, who noted that the raids would soon be carried to all the supermarkets in the state, said the organisation would not relent in its efforts at sanitising the system. 

  • Kano’s rice production up by 95 per cent, says Ganduje

    Rice produced by farmers in Kano State rose from 692, 481 tonnes to 1, 551, 720 tonnes last year, representing an increase of about 95.2 percent, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has said.

    The governor dropped the hint  during an interactive session on loan recovery, with farmers on the Central Bank of Nigeria/Bank of Agriculture/Kano State Rice Anchor – Borrowers Programme, at Kano Seed Processing Centre, Kadawa, Garun Malam Local Government area, last Saturday.

    He said: “Wheat production in the state increased from 9, 495, 024 tonnes in 2015 to 17, 717, 000 tonnes in 2016, showing a swell of 84 percent.”

    Also,Ganduje said the bumper harvest recorded last year in Kano showed a significant increase in the production of other commodities, such as maize, millet, groundnut and cow peas, adding that with the government’s commitment, barring unanticipated developments, the output would be multiplied this year.

    On impediments to the farmers’ productivity, the governor said: “I have noticed that there are two major issues in Anchor-Borrower Programme.’’

    According to him, farmers were complaining that they are not getting the assistance when they needed it,  and that this was constituting a major problem and secondly, ‘’those who are involved in the scheme (CBN and BOA) are complaining that farmers are not paying back what has been given to them”.

    He promised that these issues, as well as that of availability of input would be addressed, between the government and the banks involved, so as to ensure that farmers get appropriate assistance and other required intervention duly.

    The governor directed the supplier providing the government with fertiliser to provide the commodity to the farmers from yesterday  (Sunday), assuring that anything the farmers need would be provided to them to ensure a hitch-free productivity.

    However, Ganduje urged beneficiaries of the CBN/BOA/Kano state Rice Anchor-Borrowers Programme to ensure that they repay the loan given them accordingly, since it is a revolving facility that will pave way for other farmers to benefit, pointing out  that the state is poised to increase its rice production to about half of the country’s rice requirement this year.

    He maintained that his administration would concentrate more on agriculture this year to ensure multiplication of farmers output, pointing out that the administration recognises the fact that it must work hard to improve capacity of farmers and address the many factors that contribute to their minimal productivity.

    “Economic realities have shown that Nigeria’s future prosperity depends on investment in our farmers, to enable them become well prepared to revamp food productivity, as oil money is no longer coming in as usual”, the governor added.

  • Here comes Nigeria’s rice revolution

    Here comes Nigeria’s rice revolution

    The Federal Government’s economic diversification efforts in the agric sector appear to be yielding dividends. With the harvest of local rice, especially by Lagos and Kebbi states, the prices of the staple food have dipped, raising the hope that the ‘rice revolution’ will manifest this year, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    Rice is a staple food in Nigeria. But it’s not just a food that satisfies hunger, it enriches meals and cultures of many Nigerians.

    It was, however,  not a surprise that many  Nigerians were  worried  when the price of rice rose sharply from N10,000 second quarter to about N26,000 towards the end of  the last quarter. The spike in rice prices sent shockwaves around the country. The price hike  caused many people to panic. Expectedly, perhaps, as more than half of the nation’s population depends on rice for food, most of them the poorest of the poor.

    At N18, 000 per bag, the price of  rice was high enough to affect even the middle class.

    A rice seller, Onyeka Abia, in Somolu expressed concern that the  price hike would make consumers pay more for a cup of the staple. The situation was  damaging government’s  public support as more Nigerians became agitated since they could no longer afford rice. The situation was worsened by the enforcement of the  ban on rice importation through the land borders.

    The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) said rice importation through land borders remained banned and prohibited, warning that those caught violating the law would be arrested and prosecuted. The Service said those coming into the country legitimately through the seaports, where proper duties and extant charges are paid, will continue through the end of last year.

    The Comptroller-General, NCS had also revealed that 24.992 metric tonnes of rice valued at N2.34 billion were imported between October 2015 and March 2016 before the ban. The reduced rice supplies from land importation plus the rising demand for the staple, affected its price. This further created artificial crisis, which jerked up its price. Some blamed inflation for the crisis, emphasising the role of a plummeting naira in a free market.

    Indeed, the  falling value of the naira was partly causing the price, not only of rice, but practically food stuff to skyrocket.

    According to stakeholders, the fuel price made production and distribution of goods and services expensive.

    A bag of rice that  sold at N11,000 in January, six months after,  sold at N13,000 through the borders.

    Abia noted that spiraling rice prices have left Nigerians facing one of their worst food crisis.

    Over the year, rice price eventually hit N27,000 a bag , while there has been no corresponding increase in wages.

    Once self-sufficient in rice, Nigeria was listed as one of the world’s top importer of milled rice.With rice stocks low, some rice traders expressed fears of being caught out by price hike.

    Some rice sellers such as Abia complained that they would prefer to have stable prices than high prices. Rice prices increased by more than 50 per cent last year. By September, he was buying a bag of rice at N17, 000. The situation made rice shops around Shomolu the target of late night robberies with a rice seller around Pedro, Shomolu losing 57 bags in one robbery.

    Consequently, rice sellers had  to cut stocks to prevent a situation  where they would lose more when the night thieves struck.

    Few months to the end of the year, Customs officials barged into rice traders’ warehouses  and markets  suspected  of recieving smuggled products such as rice.

    But the government, highly conscious of social or political tensions caused by food inflation, moved to protect consumers by increasing local production. Instead of importing rice, the government worked towards supporting farmers to increase local production. The eat-local-rice policy was defended by the farming community. Many Nigerians also agreed that home-grown rice tastes best.

    Since November last year, national rice production  has increased tremendously over the past few weeks, improving the nation’s food security.

    At the same time, the gains in production, which resulted in the boost to rice supply, have made the commodity much cheaper and ultimately less profitable, particularly for small farmers.

    The price of rice for the first time went than to between N12,000 and N13,000.

    The government came up with short and long-term measures to increase rice cultivation by  providing soft loans for farmers, cooperatives and rice traders through the Central  Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) Anchor Borrowers programme. There were  arrangements to facilitate business-matching for farmers to meet with millers and  rice sales via a number of methods. Rice farmers in Plateau were  optimistic of a bumper harvest last year with at least, one million tonnes.

    The Chairman of Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RiFAN), Plateau State Chapter,  Mr Joshua Bitrus, said harvest was  bountiful  from what they saw on ground,  as such they expected nothing less than one million tonnes of rice in the state.

    He lauded the efforts of the Federal Government to boost rice production and declared that rice production would triple in Plateau, when the Anchor Borrowers Scheme takes off. The Anchor Borrowers Scheme, initiated by the CBN, which will be test-run in Plateau during the dry season farming.

    A total of 1,065 hectares of land across the state have been identified, and they are areas close to water because water is crucial to rice farming. According to him, the success of  the pilot scheme will boost farmers’ morale and shore up interest in the scheme. The ban on importation of rice would also encourage the local farmer. He hoped that the price would remain at that level of N14000/50 kgs than the earlier price of N23000/50 kgs, so that farmers could get something reasonable for their efforts and be encouraged to cultivate more in coming years.

    Also, the Federal Government was planning in excess of 1.8 hectares of rice and wheat farmers for plantation in Jigawa state for the 2016  dry season. About 90,000 farmers were targeted for rice production  early this year.

    The  Federal Government would provide seeds, fertiliser and herbicide to the farmers at subsidised rates. Each farmer would be given three bags of fertilisers – two NPK and one Urea (50 kilogrammes) apart from 50 kilogrammes of seeds and two and a half litres of herbicide. With the support coming from the Anchor Borrowers programme, stakeholders expect irrigated rice cultivation to  reach  its pinnacle this year. The expectations are that almost all key rice producing states will receive ample rainfall.

    With new varieties being released to farmers, farmers expect good  harvest more than last year. As an important contribution to rice cultivation, stakeholders expect Lagos and Kebbi rice partnership to increase uptake and growth of rice and the potential to improve rice yields.

    Results have shown that Lagos and Kebbi states’ participation is achieving sustainable rice production.

    Farmers said rising imported rice prices were  putting pressure on the nation’s budget.

    Lagos State governor, Mr Akinwumi Ambode,  said  the  future of Nigeria rests on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the two states  on rice production.

    In addition, it has been stated that both Kebbi and Lagos have entered an agreement to collaborate in using their comparative advantages to expand the cultivation and processing of rice and agricultural products too.

    “In fact, it is believed that we should be able to feed ourselves and Kebbi State being the largest producer of rice and Lagos being the largest consumer, we thought it may synergise to reduce the importation of rice in the country,” he said.

    President, Federation of Agricultural Commodities Association of Nigeria (FACAN),  Dr  Victor Iyama, observed that Nigeria  is a good example of a country that was pushed to ignore its own food production, including rice.

    He said to be continuously dependent on rice imports was a perfect recipe for crisis. Iyama believed high-yield varieties and irrigation systems would lead to increased output of the staple grain. He expects government and the private sector to invest in  more efficient machines and farming methods, better irrigation systems, and new, more resilient and higher yielding varieties of rice to produce more of the primary staple with less cost in time and effort.

    Iyama said rice production is open to mechanisation and high-yielding strains that may be deployed. It may be one of the reasons why rice prices would not go up in tandem with some other commodities.

    One of the difficulties associated with growing rice is that a lot of water is required, using the traditional method for rice paddies.

    Iyama said this is not going to be an issue as farmers can dig boreholes to cope with the challenge of large water use. He doesn’t believe   rice fields have to be flooded with water every day to give better yields.  Iyama, a rice farmer, maintained that the best strategy for keeping the price of rice low was to ensure that production increased faster than demand.

    According to him, rice production could be increased by expanding cultivation and encouraging young people get involved in planting rice, which takes four months before harvest. He explained that increased investment would make rice markets more efficient, helping to bring rice prices down.

    Speaking with The Nation, Kebbi Chairman, Rice Farmers’ Association, Alhaji Sahabi Augie said a N12,000 per bag price of rice will go up till April when farmers will make the first harvest of the year.

    According to him, Nigeria has lots of potential growth in rice production. He  said Nigeria could be self-sufficient in rice production if there was enough support for those  in rice business. In the last couple of years, however, rains have become more unpredictable and drought has emerged as a growing concern in the northern part of the country.

    In response, the various governments have released drought-tolerant rice varieties that can be used in rainfed lowlands. Meanwhile, there are fears food prices are expected to remain volatile, though output is likely to grow later this year as farmers plant additional crops.

  • Our own rice

    Our own rice

    • At last, the staple begins to attract attention again

    One hallmark of this year’s Yuletide is the appearance of home-grown rice – LAKE and Ebonyi Rice on the menu on family tables across the federation. Just when the price of foreign rice, perhaps in anticipation of the celebration, threatened to hit the roof, the two brands made a big bang with their arrival in the market. This, coming days to the Yuletide celebration, obviously made a huge difference on the family budget given their affordability. But more than that, their coming heralded the new dawn on which the nation’s quest for sufficiency in major agricultural products can hopefully be anchored.

    Nigerians are familiar with Abakaliki rice produced in the South-east; the difference this time is final statement by the Ebonyi State government of the arrival of its local rice on the big league. The LAKE Rice story is no less remarkable. Nine months ago, the two state governments of Lagos and Kebbi had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in what was advertised as “partnership for food processing, production and distribution”. The partnership, the promoters had announced, would culminate in the production of 70 per cent of Nigeria’s rice requirements annually. LAKE Rice – an acronym derived from the first two letters of the two states – marks the coming into fruition of that effort.

    The two developments are significant in a number of ways. First, it lays to rest the question of whether or not rice can be grown in sufficient quantities locally. Second, it showcases the possibilities, not just in rice production but indeed in other commodities, provided the right policies are in place. Significant is that the LAKE Rice initiative was delivered within one cropping cycle. Third is the huge demand for the two brands which, aside underscoring citizens’ preference represents a big blow to the myth that Nigerians would prefer anything foreign. Fourth is the potential for cooperation among the states of which LAKE is a telling illustration.

    We commend the three states for showing the way. Our expectation is that more states would see the wisdom in such collaboration, not just to bring the cost of food down but to save the nation the scarce foreign exchange expended on food imports. It therefore goes without saying that the initiatives deserve every support that the Federal Government as indeed every citizen can give. However, this should not be limited to rice but to every single agricultural commodity that the nation’s soil can support its development on a large scale.

    The development however, must be seen as only the beginning. Clearly, there remain a lot of grounds to be covered in the quest to optimise the country’s immense agricultural potentials. One obvious area is the value chain. Here, lots of investment is needed to reduce the quantum waste associated with successive cycle of harvests, to preserve and process the produce into intermediate products for possible export. But even more is required by way of infrastructure to ensure that agricultural commodities can be evacuated to the markets.

    In all of these, we cannot over-emphasise the role of the private sector in the current efforts to modernise the sector and to put it into competitive footing. We expect the federal and state governments to step up on the various initiatives to get more private sector players on board, particularly in the area of food processing.

    We must admit that these are achievable only if the Federal Government stands firm in its resolve to ban the importation of rice through the land borders and by clamping down on the activities of smugglers infesting our borders. We recommend that the government treat the issue of smuggling as a national security issue that deserves serious attention.