Sabo Nanono, Nigeria `s Minister of Agriculture has assured Nigerians that the government will work with relevant stakeholders to bring down the market price of rice, a key staple in the Nigerian diet.
Nanono said that the prices of the staple had remained relatively high in the country, despite the increasing support for the cultivation of the crop.
Speaking exclusively to BusinessDay, after inspecting a world-class rice milling facilities of the Stallion Group`s Popular Farms and Mill Limited, in Kano, northwest Nigeria recently, the minister said the Federal Government was dissatisfied with the current price of rice at over N17,000 per a 50kg bag in the country.
He noted that the price is on the high side and unacceptable by the government given its support constant support to growers of the crops.
“ I see no reason why a 50kg bag of rice should be sold for N17, 000, when the same paddy rice is sold at N8,500 and maximum processing expense is #2,000, which translates into a total of #10,500.
“It is unpatriotic to sell a bag of rice more than N14,000 to N15,000. I will take up this issue with rice millers at a meeting which my Ministry is planning to hold with them. The meeting will enable us through persuasion conclude on an affordable rate for rice for the consumers,” the minister disclosed.
Nanono noted that Nigeria has the necessary resources to achieve self-sufficiency in rice, with proper deployment of effective agricultural extension services, and new technologies in farming.
“Nigeria has the potential to achieve self-sufficiency in rice. At the moment there are over 50,000 agric graduates that can get associated with agric extension Services to drive better yield in the country.
“New technologies in farming should now percolate from the research institutes to boost farming practices in the field, and in line with this, the Federal Government has concluded plans to introduce Mechanisation Hub in 650 Local Governments that will support the farming community.
“The mechanization hubs which will be stocked with modern farming equipment, like tractors, power tiller, and harvesters among others, will also serve as centres for training the farmers on modern farming techniques,” the Minister further stated.
He observed with delight that the decision by the government to close land borders across the country has impacted positively on local agriculture, despite some very severe short-term effects on price inflation, and undesirable impact on legitimate cross-border trade.
The minister commended the Stallion Group`s Popular Farms and Mill Limited, for its new investment of $70 million to boost production of agric business, especially, rice and sesame in the country.
“I wish to express the appreciation of the Federal Government to Stallion Group that has brought new investment of $70 million, to scale up the Popular Farm`s local rice value chain from farmers to final retailers.
“With this and other investments made in the past, Stallion Group has transformed itself into a productive and community sensitive company helping out-growers with all farming needs, we are also glad to note that your company is making further investment in additional milling facilities geared at self-sufficiency in local rice need,” he added.
While briefing the Minister earlier, Amit Kumar Rai, managing director, Popular Farms and Mills Limited, disclosed that the company had entered into a partnership with over 1,151 Co-operative Farming Groups, with over 41,486 members, cultivating over 65,715 ha of rice farm areas for developing the rice business in the country.
Rai revealed that in addition, the Company was providing training as well as distributing rice farming tools free of cost to out-growers across the rice-producing states, as part of its dedicated service towards achieving its rice value chain initiative.
