The federal government has
cautioned Nigerians over the unhealthy status of imported rice smuggled into
the country.
At a media briefing in Lagos on
Monday, Lai Mohammed, minister of information, said the government could not
guarantee the healthy status of the rice having spent months on the high seas
and warehouses.
He appealed to Nigerians to
complement the efforts of the government by consuming only locally-grown and
processed rice which he said “is fresher, tastier and healthier’’.
“We don’t know where or how
imported rice is made or how old it is. It is reported that most of the rice
dumped on us are old and probably rejected. The citizens of those countries do
not eat this rice. The citizens of Benin Republic also do not eat it. But they
send it to us,” he said.
“Unhealthy foods are dangerous to
our health. So, let’s eat what we can vouch for.’’
He, however, noted that rice
smuggling was the biggest challenge facing rice production in Nigeria.
Quoting the Rice Millers
Importers and Distributors Association of Nigeria (RIMIDAN), he said more than
two million metric tonnes (MT) of parboiled rice were smuggled into Nigeria in
2017.
Mohammed said smuggled rice was
primarily sourced from Thailand and India and came into Nigeria through the
country’s borders with Benin, Niger and Cameroon.
“In Benin Republic, the total
demand for white rice (white rice is consumed in Benin, against parboiled rice
in Nigeria) is 400,000 MT. Yet, the country with a population of about 11
million imports between one million and 1.2m MT of rice annually,: he said.
“Who are they importing for?
Nigerians, of course. In fact, as Nigeria’s rice import falls, Benin’s rice
imports increase. Most of the parboiled rice imported by Benin eventually land
in Nigeria through smuggling.’’
The minister said smuggled rice
costs between N11,000 and N13,000 per 50kg bag, while Nigerian-processed rice
sells for between N14,500 and N15,000 per 50kg bag.”
Explaining why the price of local
rice was higher, he said Cameroon and Benin Republics had lowered tariff
payable on rice to five percent to encourage importation and subsequent smuggling
into Nigeria.
He added that Thailand and India
where the smuggled rice were sourced also gave a high level of subsidies to
rice farmers and rice processors.
The minister disclosed that the
local rice producers had made some representations to the government on how
Nigerian rice could compete favourably, in terms of pricing, with the heavily
subsidised imported rice.
He assured that the government
would work on the presentations to formulate policies and take steps that will
bring down the price of local rice.
“Nigerians should remember that
every time they eat imported rice, they are eating the jobs that would have
been created for Nigerians,” he said.
“It is important for Nigerians to
know that when they consume imported rice, they are creating jobs in India and
Thailand and destroying jobs across our country.
“Today, we have rice farmers in
all states and all geopolitical zones. In fact, most of us have friends and
relatives who are farming rice. So if we don’t patronise their products, we are
destroying their livelihoods.”
He concluded that the government
would embark on a massive nationwide campaign to sensitise compatriots on the
need to support the rice revolution by consuming local rice.
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