Rice Processors Association of Nigeria (RIPAN) has alerted that smuggled foreign rice are beginning to flood the markets through the land borders.
According to the association more than one million tonnes of rice smuggled into Nigeria from neigbouring countries have started hitting the markets ahead of Christmas and New Year celebrations.
The Chairman, RIPAN, Mr. Abubakar Mohammed and the Secretary of the union, who is a former Minister of Justice, Chief Michael Aondoakaa, has written a petition to President Muhammadu Buhari, on the situation. The petition was sent to the President through the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh.
However, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that from investigations, shiploads of rice has arrived and the rice were being warehoused in neighbouring countries, waiting to be smuggled into Nigeria.
The warehouses, are allegedly located in Republics of Benin, Niger and Cameroon.
In Abuja on Thursday, they made it known that the trend will kill local rice industry if not checked, adding that over N200 billion worth of investments in the sector would be destroyed.
“And please be reminded that among countries in the West Coast of Africa, only the Nigerian market consumes parboiled rice and this list shows that all the ships conveyed parboiled rice.”
“If this is not checked, it will kill the huge investments made by the Federal Government in the various rice intervention programmes.
“It will also destroy the billions of naira invested by private sector stakeholders in the rice value chain.
“It will undermine the zeal and efforts of over 25 million Nigerian farmers across the country who have gone back to farming in response to the present administration’s call for the diversification of the economy through agriculture.”
The association had also briefed the Nigerian Customs Service on the matter. As regards to that, the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) had restated the ban on importation of rice through land border.
Mr. Wale Adeniyi, who is NCS spokesman, said that they would clamp down on any rice coming in through the land border.
Posted by Juliet Ekwebelam
