The Nation Newspaper

Tag: rice

  • Smuggling crippling indigenous rice investors

    Rice Smuggling  has reached frightening levels, with hundreds of trailers ferrying tonnes of the staple food from neighbouring countries.

    The nation’s supply gap was estimated at around 3 million tonnes by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and half that number by the Federal Government earlier this year.

    However, legal importers paying full tariff of 70 per cent have not been able to compete with smugglers who enjoy a free ride into the market, aided by negligible tariffs in neighbouring countries of Cameroon and Republic of Benin, taking advantage of porous borders.

    Another pertinent problem hamstringing rice investors is the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) ban of foreign exchange for rice imports, among other products, choking the importation supply chain.

    The resultant shortage in the market is now being exploited by smugglers, who prospered significantly in 2013 when they were able to move in around 2.5 million tonnes through the borders, without paying a single kobo as import duty.

    That year, the Federal Government increased import tariff to 110 per cent as against zero duty regime administered in Benin and Cameroon.

    As Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) struggles to check the smugglers, the market is flooded with cheap quality rice. Besides, commercial agriculture by key investors in the rice value chain is frustrated.

    Multinationals, including Olam, Stallion Group and Dangote, have announced large scale investments in the value chain that are crucial in Nigeria’s quest to meeting a growing annual demand of 6.5 million tonnes. Stallion Group is expanding its capacities to produce 1.5 million tonnes in Nigeria. Dangote plans to farm 100,000 hectares. Effective curbing of rice smuggling is essential to get these projects to fruition and encourage millions of farmers to get back intensively to rice farming.

    The National Rice Millers Association of Nigeria (NRMAN) said this week that the  NCS erred in its decision to lift the ban on importation of rice through the land borders. Its Chairman, Mohammed Abubakar, said the NCS overreached its statutory mandate as an enforcement agency in taking such a policy decision. Besides, Mr. Abubakar said, if the NCS succeeded in its decision, it would destroy Nigeria’s rice value chain attained by the previous administration.

    Reports emerge that the huge rice influx has been noticed in the market from last Saturday, the worst affected being Lagos and Southwest. Rice arrives in big trailers with between 1200 and 1500  50KG bags from Cotonou. There is substantial under-declaration and non-payment aspects in these shipments, making it non-viable for legal importers and local producers to compete with these shipments.

    Several long trailers are noticed during the night directly plying from Cotonou bearing Benin number plates (RB) into Daleko and G Cappa markets. Apart from these big trailers, smaller J5 Buses which carry 200 bags each are also used by these unscrupulous smugglers to ship products during the day time.

    The affected states are Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Kwarra, Ondo and Ekiti. Other states adversely impacted are Sokoto, Katsina, Kaduna, Kano, Abuja, Niger and Plateau – all coming in from Cotonou,  Niger.

    Rice from Cameroon through Northern Nigeria is flooding Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Taraba, Benue and Enugu. Affected states from the Southeast and Southsouth are Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Abia and Enugu.

  • Benue State invests N87m in rice production

    Benue State invests N87m in rice production

    As part of efforts to boost local production and marketing of rice and cassava, Benue State Government has released the sum of N87 million as counterpart fund to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) funded Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP).

    The VCDP is a Federal Government of Nigeria and IFAD initiative that focuses on supporting cassava and rice value chains for smallholder farmers in six states of Benue Anambra, Ebonyi, Niger, Ogun and Taraba.

    While  receiving the team from IFAD at the Government House in Makurdi, the state capitalm  Governor Samuel Ortom said the state is committed to pursuing its agricultural agenda and partnership with IFAD would contribute to actualising the vision of transforming Benue from “food basket” of the nation to food basket of Africa.

    He said: “We are known as the food basket of the nation and we intend to translate that into reality. The potential is there, we have what it takes to feed Nigeria, feed Africa and even export to other parts of the world.”

    The governor expressed commitment of the state to sustain collaboration with IFAD. “We are happy you are partnering with us. We believe with your experience and technical assistance we can get to that level. Benue is focusing on agriculture, it is our main agenda, which was why against all odds we provided the counterpart fund, we are serious and will do our best for our farmers,”

    He said Benue has comparative advantage in agriculture especially rice and cassava and that was why the state recently launched an agricultural agenda to woo investors to come and invest in the state.

    Ortom, who also disclosed that the state was seriously considering dry season farming, said the state would explore the advantage of the two rivers (Rivers Benue and Kastina Ala) in the next dry season for that purpose.

    In her remarks, IFAD Nigeria Country Programme Manager, Ms Atsuko Toda thanked the state government for paying its counterpart fund.

    “With the payment of your N87million counterpart fund, we are prepared to match that fund by four to five times each year and would ensure due diligence in utilising of your funds so that Benue farmers can enjoy improvement in their value chainm,” she said.

    The IFAD boss stated that Benue farmers and indeed, the entire state stands to benefit immensely from the programme, saying all that was required is the continuous commitment of the state government and cooperation of stakeholders to ensure better earnings for farmers.

    The VCDP,Toda further explained,  hopes to target 7,500 farmer households in four local government areas of the state,  including Guma, Gwer, Okpokwu and Logo both in skills set among other capacity building.

  • Rice

    Rice

    •Time to resolve the conundrum

    He spoke so often and always with great flair and flourish about the near miraculous feat the country was achieving in the agricultural sector, particular with reference to self-sufficiency in rice, that has become one of Nigerians’ staple foods.

    Perhaps the former Minister of Agriculture in the Goodluck Jonathan administration, and now President of the African Development Bank, Dr Adewummi Adesina, had cause to be genuinely exultant about celebrating the purported successes recorded during his tenure in reducing rice importation dependency.

    After all, the government had granted approval for the setting up of 17 local rice mills in different parts of the country through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.

    The aim was to boost local production in the commodity; as well as end rice importation dependency that drained the country of huge amounts of money in foreign currency. Beyond this, the Federal Government, through the Bank of Industry (BOI), invested about N800 million in the Ebonyi Agro Mill out of a total outlay of about N2.6 billion. It equally invested almost one billion Naira on the Tara Rice Mill, relocated to Adani in Enugu State from its original Taraba site, due to political unrest in the area.

    In spite of all of these, the country is clearly nowhere near the self-sufficiency in local rice production that was Dr Adesina’s ceaseless mantra. Of course, investors in the sector claim that they face serious hurdles in achieving requisite levels of local production because of such critical variables as poor power supply causing them to rely almost 100% on diesel, as well as lack of water and inability to access credit facilities at favourable rates.

    But by far, the most formidable obstacle crippling the local rice mills is the scarcity, or total unavailability of paddy. For instance, the Tara Agro Mill in Enugu State has an installed capacity of 42, 000 tons while the Ebony Agro Mill in Ebonyi State has a capacity of 30, 000 tons. Today, both Mills are grossly underutilised. Indeed, the section of the Ebony Agro Mill that produces local rice with a staff strength of 132 workers has reportedly not functioned since November last year because of paddy insufficiency.

    To reduce the gap between local demand and inadequate supply, the Federal Government in 2013 granted rice importation quotas to key players in the industry and marginal Nigerian rice millers to bridge the demand-supply gap. Rather than import unfinished rice and adhere to the requisite quota agreed to, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has accused the operators of bringing in finished products through the Lagos and Port Harcourt ports, which are then sold for a profit. Many of them have also been alleged to exceed the import quotas allocated to them. All of these defeat the ultimate objective of boosting local rice production capacity.

    This unfortunate scenario illustrates the tardiness in conceptualisation and implementation that incapacitates public policy in Nigeria. Why on earth would the requisite authorities embark on a policy of investing in the production of the local rice mills without adequate  paddy facilities? We agree with the industry operators’ on the need for policies deliberately aimed at encouraging local production as well as greater policy stability that will encourage more investment in local rice production.

    We do not understand why the NCS failed to prevent the entrance of the rice that violated the legal quotas into the country and is now crying foul after the deed is done. Even then, we urge a thorough investigation to identify the companies that defied the quotas and made illicit profit so that they can be made to remit whatever illegitimate gains they have made to the Nigerian government.

    If we have the requisite political will and a patriotic commitment to good governance by the political class, Nigeria has all it takes to be self-sufficient in food production not excluding rice.

  • Lagos takes steps to reduce rice importation

    Lagos State is supporting the Federal Government to bring down rice importation  which is draining foreign reserve, Governor Akinwumi Ambode has said.

    Ambode, who spoke during the 2015 World Food Day celebration, said the state consumes over 50 per cent of national rice demand which is put at over two metric  tonnes valued at N365 billion.

    Represented by Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Yakub Basorun, the governor said to meet the national demand put at two metric tonnes, 90 per cent is imported from other countries which constitutes a drain on the nation’s foreign exchange reserve while thousands of youths are roaming the streets unemployed.

    Against this background, he said the state and Kebbi have decided to collaborate to develop the rice value chain.

    He said: “While Kebbi State is one of the highest producers of paddy rice in Nigeria, Lagos is undoubtedly the highest consumer of milled rice with ultra-modern rice processing facilties in agro industrial estates located at Imota in Ikorodu Division.”

    To boost processing, he said the state plans to establish more rice processing facilities in collaboration with the private sector. This, he expressed, also, will help to create more job opportunities for the people.

    He also said the government is working towards providing facilities so as to boost agricultural productivity.

    He said the state plans to give incentives to farmers as part of a long term strategy to improve food supply chain. One of the strategies is to provide incentives and inputs to enterprising residents, including the farm estates in Ikorodu, Epe and Badagry.

    In furtherance of the policy of making arable land farming, he said the state has acquired land in Ogun,Osun and the Federal Capital Territory with a view to allocating plots of land to interested farmers who will sign off-take agreements with the state government in this regard.

    Increased food production, he believes could help the nation reduce its dependence on imported foods.

  • Customs seizes N50m rice, vegetable oil in Ogun

    Customs seizes N50m rice, vegetable oil in Ogun

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operation Unit, Zone A, Ikeja, yesterday, seized over 6,000 bags of rice and 2,000 kegs of 25kg vegetable oil at Lusada in Ado-Odo Ota area of Ogun State.

    The commodities with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N50million were seized based on intelligence reports.

    The suspected smugglers were said to have kept the commodities in their various warehouses and shops for sale at the Lusada Market today. But Customs swooped at 2a.m.

    NCS Public Relation Officer (PRO) Uche Ejesieme said efforts were being made to arrest and bring persons behind the unlawful act to book.

    Ejesieme said: “Apparently aware of the implication of being caught with their smuggled wares, the suspected smugglers did not show up when our officers swooped on Lusada market and its environs.

    “Upon the visit of the comptroller-general to Lagos, our controller, Amade Abdul, reminded all officers of the comptroller- general’s zero tolerance for smuggling and other illegalities.

    “Although, we don’t know the quantity yet, let alone the value but I make bold to say that this is one of the best operations handled by the unit in recent times and we are ready to do more.

    “We are not unaware of the smugglers’ drive to beat us by applying unusual means, especially as we have efficiently and strategically positioned our men on the bush paths and other likely routes, therefore they have bitter experience to tell their friends and other smugglers.

    “This seizure is a direct message to all involved in smuggling that they stand a great chance of going to jail as we are keen on matching seizures with suspects.

    “Whoever wishes to import rice should do that through the seaports and approved land borders as approved by the Federal Government and pay correct duty.

  • FG to ban rice importation in two years

    FG to ban rice importation in two years

    Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari on Wednesday disclosed that the Federal Government will ban importation of rice into the country in the next two years.

    He disclosed while speaking with State House correspondents at the end of a meeting on the new policy on agriculture and food sustainability at the Vice President’s conference room.

    The governor also said that ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration did not export any locally-produced rice from the country.

    He said: “We discussed how we can boost rice production in Nigeria and start thinking about how we are going to put policy in place on how rice importation will be banned in the country.

    “We have the potential; we have the human resources; we have the arable land to grow rice.

    “In the next two years, we will not need to bring rice from outside Nigeria. We are going to ban it.

    “It is only in Nigeria, a country of millions of people, that there is no food security.

    “We discussed the policy with the relevant permanent secretaries and CBN governor.

    “The policy is going to be in place and we gave our commitment that we are ready to support the government policy in ensuring that Nigeria becomes self-sufficient in food production in the next two years.

    “Nigeria is currently a major importer of rice. Now, the political will is in place to stop it. We in about nine states are going to be seriously engaged in massive rice production.

    “We are hoping that in the next two years, rice importation into Nigeria will be banned.  We are committed and the political will is in place,” he stated.

  • Importers, traders laud govt for lifting ban on rice

    Importers, traders laud govt for lifting ban on rice

    President Muhammadu Buhari has been praised for approving the recommendation of the Comptroller-General, Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), to lift the ban on  rice importation through land borders.

    According to stakeholders in the maritime sector, the Federal Government loses over N20 billion yearly for putting rice on the import restriction list.

    This is because no fewer than 10,000 bags of rice were smuggled into the country daily from Benin Republic and other neighbouring countries before the ban was lifted.

    Customs Public Relations Officer Mr Wale Adeniyi, last week, in a statement, announced the lfiting of the ban.

    The action of the government was lauded by officials of the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Customs officers, importers, traders and others.

    A senior official of the Federal Ministry of Finance, who craved anonymity, said the N20 billion yearly loss was not part of the duty owed the government by rice importers who exceded the import quotas given to them. Some importers also enjoyed ‘questionable waivers’ too.

    The  administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, had through the Ministry of Agriculture, approved import waivers for rice importers.

    In spite this largesse, all entreaties, notifications and notices  given to the importers by the Customs, many of them still defaulted paying Customs duty and other charges on the excess imported rice.

    A few months ago, offcials of the NCS sealed warehouses of major rice importers for failing to pay debts valued at N23,603,479,402.44

    The affected importers are: Olam, Stallion/Popular Foods/Masco Agro, Ebony Agro and Conti-Agro (Milan).

    Allowing the issue to degenerate to the level of closing down their warehouses was one of the reasons the government reviewed the ban.

    “These people were given special allocation by the government and the terms of agreement were spelt out to them. But, at a stage, they brought in rice in excess of the allocations that were given to them. It became difficult for them to pay the duty imposed by the government. I don’t know when Nigeria became Father Christmas where anybody can ship in commodities without paying the necessary duty to the government.

    “Those who put rice under import restriction list failed to understand that some people that are close to the government may abuse the process and that is why we recorded huge losses from the border stations where the government is supposed to collect huge revenue from duty and other charges.

    “Immediately, the item was banned, rice became the most smuggling commodity.

    “Those using local production to sustain the ban could not achieve anything before they left power. “How many tonnes of rice are we producing in the country? What is the method and level of our production? How many genuine rice farmers do we have in the country? How much was allocated for rice production by the last administration and where is the rice in our markets or the money in our purse?

    “Without the necessary policy frame work and massive production of the commodity across the country, the ban on the commodity cannot be sustained.

    “Rice business is a big business. Rice is an international commodity and it will always find its way into our country like fish in the Atlantic Ocean; wherever the water goes, you find fish. Every grain of rice is money,” an official of the NCS said.

    ANLCA President, Prince Olayiwola Shittu, commended President Buhari and the Col. Ali for reversing the obnoxious policy of the last administration.

    He argued that the ban on rice importation through land borders had led to upsurge in  the smuggling of the essential commodity and threw up some emergency millionaires.

    He said over 10,000 bags of rice are smuggled in daily.

    In 2011, Shittu said, 2.9 million tonnes of rice were imported, not 342,000 tonnes, as claimed by some top officials of the last administration.

    He called on the National Assembly to support the Federal Government with a legislation that would promote agric production.

    Shittu urged the Federal Government and the NCS  to put in place an effective sanction for rice smuggler.

    He identified low tariff on rice in neighbouring countries as one of the major factors contributing to smuggling of rice, urging the government to look into the 60 per cent levy imposed by the last administration.

    An importer at Alaba Rago Market,Mallam Audu Bello, howver, said the decision to ban rice importation was not well thought-out.

    “Rice is important in Nigeria. This is because it is a staple food of most homes,” he said.

    According to government statistics, yearly consumption of rice is about 5.5million tonnes. It is also a fact that local production accounts for about 1.8million tonnes. Analysts say the question is how to bridge the gap.

    “The fact is that over two million metric tonnes are smuggled into the country and the country loses huge revenue through it,” he added.

    Also, the President, Shippers’ Association Lagos State, Rev. Jonathan Nicol, lauded the lifting of the ban. He described the action as the ‘most sensible’.

    According to him, rice is the staple food of many Nigerians. “When Nigeria is ripe to produce enough rice, Nigerians will be glad to adjust and consume local produce,” he said.

     

  • 50 Niger women trained in rice processing

    50 Niger women trained in rice processing

    Crude as their methods are, women rice processors in Kwakuti, a sleepy community in Paikoro Local Government Area of Niger State, still manage to turn out up to two trailer-loads every month.

    Now things can only get better because the state government has trained no fewer than 50 of the women to be more efficient and productive.

    The government is seeking to reduce the stress associated with the exercise and position the state as the largest producer of rice in the country.

    This is particularly important in view of government determination to make the country self sufficient in rice production and reduce the reliance on importation. It is estimated that the country spends about N12 billion annually in rice importation.

    Realising that the state has the potentials of being the largest producer of rice in the country in view of its rich terrain, the Niger state government recently trained about 50 women in the community on ways of processing rice in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

    During the training, which lasted for five days, the women were taught how to form and manage cluster-groups and rice value chain development. They were equally groomed in value development at each processing stage and what value addition needed at each stage.

    That was not all. They were also taught business management and marketing as the organisers looked at the four P’s and proper book keeping as it deals with keeping of the stock such as the raw materials and the finished goods. In addition, they also taught how to properly cost their products. Interestingly, from the interaction with the women, it was discovered that the women (who were also the marketers) were either over costing, overpricing and under-pricing their products.

    Focusing on the product development, the organizers taught them to bag the rice instead of selling in ‘module’ which is their preferred measurement; the women were also taught them on how to properly boil the rice, sieve the paddy, par boil it and dry it while keeping stones away from the rice. A rice cluster with the capacity to take two machines was built for the women, designed to have two rice mill and one destoner. Also, the women were taught to organised themselves into cooperative that will put them in the right position to getting government aid.

    Dr. Abdumalik Ndaki, one of the consultants involved in the training, told The Nation that rice is one of  the key product where the state have a comparative advantage. The other products include: yam, cassava, cowpea, groundnut and sheabutter. On the choice of Kwakuti, he disclosed that when a need assessment was carried out in Kwakuti, it was discovered that in spite of the potentials of the area I. Rice production, there were no rice farmers in the community, adding that only three farmers were found in the town with farmlands that were not up to half an hectare.

    Ndagi who is the Director General of Niger State Industrial Parks Development Agency said the state government has spent over N20 million on the development of the Kwakuti rice project adding that similar programme are ongoing in Bida, Lapai, and Badegi areas of the state. He explained that the state government is working to add value, modernize them and make them better adding that the   government pays its counterpart fund to ensure that the state stays top in the agricultural sector.

    Ndagi was confident that when the project is fully implemented, there would be more than enough rice paddy from Kwakuti, adding that with two trailer loads of rice to process every month, Kwakuti rice would be a force to reckon with in the near future. He assured that UNDP and the state government would continue to work round the clock to better the lots of rice farmers in the state.

    He said: “We recently held a meeting with major stakeholders in agriculture in the state last week. So we are charting a way out to be able to help rice processors in the state.”

     

  • Rice adulteration on the increase

    Rice adulteration on the increase

    What brand of rice is in the bag of rice you have just bought? Is it Royal Umbrella, Stallion, Marvel, Caprice, El Faradj, Mama Gold,etcetera? It is only the wholesaler and retailer that can honestly answer that question.

    Adulteration has permeated the rice industry just like in every other sector. Mrs. Felicia Okonkwo, a caterer with the Nigerian Prison Authorities, had just ordered some bags of Royal Umbrella rice at the normal price of N11,000. Royal Umbrella, because it is about the best rice in the market.

    In terms of quality, flavour, texture, you cannot fault it. The long grain Thai rice also stands out singularly (like most Thai rice) after cooking, so despite the fact that the price is higher than most other brands in the market, consumers still prefer to buy it.

    According to Mrs. Okonkwo, on opening the 50kg bag, and seeing the rice, she realised it was not the rice she has been buying. Unlike the Royal Umbrella, this particular rice grain was not slim and long and also did not have the shinny finish of Royal Umbrella. On opening the second bag of rice she bought, she noticed also that it was not the brand she had asked for. The content of this second bag was even different from the contents of the first bag she opened and both bags were supposed to be the same brand. The rice grain in the second bag was slim, long but very whitish instead of golden. She checked the rice bags again and confirmed the two bags bore the name of Royal Umbrella with all the attached printed materials.

    Her mistake? She had not gone to her regular customer at Iddo, Lagos. However, she remembered she had the seller’s phone number and she put a call through to him, registering her dissatisfaction and disappointment. Alhaji, as she called him, insisted that he bought the bags of rice like that and at no time repackaged them.

    Refusing to confirm if the content of the bag was the actual brand of rice printed on the rice bag, he said he did not open the bags before making the purchase and as such could not testify to that.

    Surprised, but not really overwhelmed as I know that most traders are quite unscrupulous and can descend very low to make abnormal profits, I took a trip to the popular rice market in Daleko, Mushin, Lagos.

    Pretending to be a buyer, I requested for two popular brands, Caprice and Royal Umbrella, from Alhaji Yero of Shop No. 18. Mercifully, he told me that one of the popular brands I requested for, being imported from Thailand by Mama Gold, had not been in the Nigerian market since this year.

    Thankfully, I left his shop. But as I walked through the market, I observed different printed rice bags displayed for sale to those traders wishing to falsely repackage unpopular rice under popular brand names. I went into another shop and requested for Royal Umbrella rice and, this time, the shop owner said it was available. This is the same rice (from investigations) I had been told was not available in the market.

    He was excited and requested to know how many bags I wanted, I told him I needed 100 bags. The trader whom I would not want to mention his name now said I should make part payment and that I should give him an hour to bring the rice from his second store in the market or alternatively make payment and give him three hours to deliver the rice to any location of my choice within Lagos.

    Promising to come back, I walked to line 2, Shop 34. The shop owner, Madame Funmi Olobanjo, popularly called Oyo Oyo Rice, was more forthcoming, believing I was a rice retailer.

    She said the popular brands I wanted was scarce but that she could bag rice that looked similar to the ones I wanted under the brand name I wanted.

    I requested to know the rice she could bag as Royal Umbrella rice for instance, she disclosed that traders usually bag El Faradj, another Thai rice, and Mama Gold usually sold for N8,000 per 50kg in place of Royal Umbrella rice, and sell it for N11000 as Royal Umbrella making extra N3,000 per bag.

    Explaining further, she said that when the two types of rice are mixed together one can hardly find out. Demanding whether that was the only brand they could adulterate, she stated that there was no brand of rice that cannot be adulterated.

    However, the ones that are usually adulterated are the brands in high demand, especially when they are no longer in the market and buyers keep demanding for them.

    Special rice is also another brand that is also being presently adulterated. “Anyone that tells you she/he has Special rice is telling a lie. Traders mix long grain ‘Arosor’ and short grain Agric and bag as Special rice and sell it for N10,000, the same price of the Special rice brand.

    At Agege Market, Shop No 18, Shiaba Street, Alhaji Musa Abubakar, though confirming the adulteration of rice, said that not all the traders were involved in the nefarious activities.

    The way to avoid falling into the hands of these dupes, he advised, is to maintain a customer. “Find an honest customer and stick to him,” he said.

    At Iddo, another popular rice market where the adulteration seemed to be rife, Mr. Anene Ikeanyionwu, a rice dealer, while condemning the actions of some of his fellow traders, also blamed consumers for sometimes insisting on a particular brand.

    “The difference in some of these brands, especially the rice from Thailand is not much. They are all good rice just that they have been branded in different names. There is no much difference between El Faradj, Super rice, Royal Umbrella and the other brands. The only thing is that those brands have been marketed better,” lamented Ikeanyionwu.

    Explaining further, he said where the difference is noticeable is between rice imported from India and the one imported from Thailand. Indian rice is of smaller seed and sells for about N8,300 while Thai rice is of bigger and longer grain which consumers prefer and which goes for between N8,600 – N11,000.

    “But a consumer has the right to know what he or she is buying,” I insisted. Agreeing with me, Ikeanyionwu regretted the development, while advising consumers to stick to a well-known, trusted seller and stop insisting on a particular brand of rice.

    But is the deception and adulteration going to continue? What are the parent umbrellas in the market doing to checkmate this ugly situation?

    Investigations by Consumer Watch has revealed that at all the popular rice markets in Lagos like Iddo, Daleko, Ketu, Mile 12, Alaba, Sango Otta, the story is the same. Printed rice bags of different brands are openly on display for traders to buy and repackage and rebrand. Sometimes the commodity will already be repackaged in bags of other brands and brought to the market, thereby deceiving the unsuspecting public.

    Grain sack-sewing machines are equally on display. Almost all the wholesalers are involved in this act and they engage in it right inside their stores, though discreetly.

    Investigations revealed that the union can’t stop the adulteration because the members are the wholesalers who are deeply involved in the adulteration.

  • Ebonyi acquires equipment to boost rice production  

    To boost rice production in Ebonyi State, the government has procured mechanised equipment to be distributed to farmers.

    The state governor, David Umahi at an event organised at the State University permanent site, Abakaliki to test-run the equipment, said his administration would also introduce irrigation farming soon.

    Chief Umahi gave the state Ministry of Agriculture and the Faculty of Agriculture at Ebonyi State University two weeks to test-run the equipment on all the available arable farmland in the university. He said government was ready to provide all the funds needed.

    While reaffirming his administration’s commitment to turn around the fortunes of the state through rice production, Governor Umahi said that his government would purchase three bulldozers to boost farming activities.

    He stated that the Agricultural equipment will be thoroughly tested before handing it over to local council for proper management.

    In her address, the chairman of the occasion and provost, Federal College of Agriculture, Ishiagu, Prof (Mrs) Justina U. Mgbada assured the farmers of regular training on the use of the equipment and expressed her confidence that with the introduction of mechanised Agriculture in the state, youths would start to engage the farmers to make effective use of the equipments.

    In a speech, the state Commissioner for Agriculture, Barrister Uchenna Orji observed that the event was the practical “manifestation of the political will of the state governor, Chief David Umahi to mechanize and commercialize Agriculture in the state.”

    Barr. Orji noted that the event was the outcome of the colloquium on rice production convoked by the state Governor on the need to tap the incentives and potentials in rice production.

    He stated that the event was to train the farmers on the use of farm machinery to attain the full accomplishment of the state governments desired to make Agriculture the hub of the state economy.

    Good will messages were delivered by the representative of the permanent secretary, federal ministry of Agriculture; the forum of agricultural cooperative societies in Ebonyi State, and the representative of the university community.

    Some of the equipment demonstrated at the occasion include; manual, power tiller, manual transplanter, weeder, motorized transplanter, power tiller and grain winnower.