Nigeria in the Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), Asia chapter in collaboration with Kanryu Industry of Japan, has launched modular rice mills for smallholder farmers and small-medium enterprises to move the country towards self-sufficiency in rice production.
The modular rice mill which was launched recently in Lagos and Abuja is a compact machine that has the capacity of processing 110kg of paddy rice per hour.
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Emenike Ejiogu, president of NIDO- Asian chapter, said during the launch that the move to introduce the modular rice milling machines was necessitated by the Federal Government’s appeal to Nigerian professionals and business owners in the diaspora to contribute to national development and nation-building.
Ejiogu added that it was also necessitated to support the government’s self-sufficiency drive in rice production and put a stop to the era of foreign varieties by ensuring that Nigerians consume good and quality rice.
“We are launching these modular rice milling machines to see how we can articulate and help in the area of technology, skills, and finance in driving economic growth and national development,” he said.
“This modular small milling machines are very easy to maintain and affordable for smallholder farmers,” he stated.
“We choose rice because it is one of the most-consumed staple foods in the country and the government has been looking for ways to attain self-sufficiency in its production,” he further said.
He noted that Asia has almost the same altitude as Nigeria and as the largest producers of rice, the country must adopt its technology and practice in the production of the crop.
“We decide to domesticate foreign rice in Nigeria and since we live in Asia, where technology is key especially in Japan, we located a company that is willing to come and not only transfer the technology but also teach us best practices in rice production,” Ejiogu who is an engineer and a professor, explained.
“We aim to make the era of foreign rice a bygone so that Nigerians will enjoy the quality of rice they desire and decrease smuggling,” he said.
“Nigeria has what it takes- the land, resources, and manpower to grow enough rice. We want to bring the technology starting from rice milling to backward integration of growing rice,” he added.
He noted that part of the discussions of NIDO with Kanryu Industry – manufacturers of the modular mills, is to ensure that a mechanism is put in place to start increasing local content of the modular mills in the country, adding that train the trainers have already being trained to transfer this knowledge.
“The professionals are already in place such as fabricators, programmers, engineers who are taking over the operations,” he said.
He called on the government to support smallholder farmers and small businesses in the area of finance through the Bank of Industry to be able to purchase the milling machines.
Speaking also, Ochade Osekwe, PRO, NIDO- Asian chapter and chairman, Nigeria Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Japan said: “NIDO – Asian chapter is bringing in technical partners from Japan to showcase how we can incorporate modular rice milling facility in Nigeria.”
“These machines we are bringing are as good as having integrated rice mills. It can mill, destone, husk, and polish. The only difference is just that the quantity is lower than integrated mills,” Osekwe said.
He advised farmers to form clusters to purchase four or five of the machines for their operations, adding that the introduction of the mills will create employment and positively impact the Nigerian economy.
He added that farmers will be trained on the use of organic manure brought from Japan that will be mixed with locally produced manures to get higher yields per hectare.
Speaking on behalf of Kanryu Industry, Taeho Park, managing director of the organisation said that the machine is currently being used in Thailand – a global top rice exporter.
He said that the modular mills are specifically manufactured for long-grain rice and the Nigerian market, adding that it has the husking, milling, and destoner that separate broken from head rice.
“Usually most rice machines give 30 to 40 percent of head rice but this machine gives up to 70percent of head rice,” Park said.
“We have tested it thoroughly since we came into Nigeria. We have two types- one running on generator and the other on power,” he added.
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