10-year-old stored Thailand rice may find its way to Nigeria, Africa

Growing concerns and fears are emerging in Africa’s most populous country over the possibility of Thailand’s 10-year-old stored rice finding its way into the Nigerian and African markets as Thai’s government announced plans to sell to the public.

Thailand plans to auction the 150,000 sacks of rice that had been kept in warehouses for 10 years, expecting to earn between 200 to 400 million baht (US$ 5.4 and 10.8 million), a move that its citizens and food safety experts have heavily criticized.

Since the announcement by the Thai authorities, Nigerians have taken to social media to voice their concern on the potentially adverse impacts the rice may have on people’s health if it eventually finds its way to Africa and Nigeria in particular where food safety and regulation checks are not taken seriously.

10 years old, is the nutrient still there? asked @NwaOnyekuzi in an X tweet. While @Kdenkss in a tweet said, “This is embarrassing and I am sure some of the rice will end up in Nigeria.”

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Also, Labaeka with X handle @labeakai in a tweet said, “as usual, Africa sits perfectly as the dumping ground.”

African countries have become a major destination for Thai rice as purchasing volume continues to surge substantially, the Thai Rice Exporter Association said on its website.

In the 2023-2024 season, Thailand was the second largest rice exporter globally with 8.2 million metric tons, according to data from Statista.

Africa’s top 10 rice importers from Thailand in 2023 are South Africa, Senegal, Cameroon, Mozambique, and Côte d’Ivoire, combined they imported 2.48 million tons within the period, the data shows.

Followed by Zimbabwe with 55,691 tons, Algeria with 76,747 tons, Angola with 135,909 tons, Benin with 139,206 tons and Togo.

While Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country may not be on the list owing to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s previous policy of foreign exchange restriction for rice importers to boost local production, most of the imports recorded by Benin and Togo find their way into the Nigerian markets via smuggling through the land borders.

James Marsh, a food safety expert and executive director of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) said the 10-year-old rice will contain zero nutrients as most of it must have been completely wiped out.

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He said toxins and harmful chemicals might be heavily present in the rice depending on the kind of chemical being used at the warehouses for its storage over the 10 years.

“There are currently zero nutrients in the rice that have been stored for 10 years. The most you can store a grain, especially rice should not exceed 5 years,” Marsh noted.

“Unfortunately, it will find its way into Nigeria because of our porous borders,” Marsh stressed.

“The Nigerian government has to act now by ensuring the rice does not enter into the country once they are auctioned and that is the job of NAFDAC and SON. The rice has a barge number which can be used to trace it,” he advised.

Shittu Akinyemi, a professor of food science at the Federal University of Agriculture noted that food safety has two determinants – how it is handled and the kind of chemical applied for its preservation.

He added that grains can be stored for a long period, noting that people tend to be sensitive to long-term stored food products. “Ageing also takes place in rice and once it ages, it will not be enjoyed as a premium.”