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 health 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.