Rice processors in the country have again raised alarm over the activities of smugglers at the nation’s borders.
The millers believe if the situation is not addressed without delay, it would erode government’s effort at ensuring self-sufficiency in rice production.
The millers’ latest concerns are coming when the local rice farmers are harvesting tonnes of paddy rice from their farms.
In Kano State, our correspondents saw hundreds of trucks loaded with paddy and making their way to millers in the state.
When Daily Trust visited Umza International Farms, one of the well-known milling factories in the state, truck drivers were seen waiting to off load the paddy bought from farmers across the country.
Reports from Niger, Katsina, Benue, Nasarawa, Kwara and some other rice producing states show that local rice farmers record bumper harvest this year than previous years.
Experts believe that the massive production of paddy by the local rice farmers indicates that in no distant time, the country will become self-sufficient in rice production.
One of the experts, Mr. Adebayo Johnson, an agric economist, attributed the improvement in rice production to the Federal Government’s commitment to agricultural development, especially in the rice sector.
“The CBN’s anchor borrower scheme helped in this regard as many farmers were able to acquire improved rice seeds as well as other inputs,’’ he said.
But stakeholders in the sector, especially the rice processors fear that if the activities of rice smugglers across the nation’s borders are not checked, many rice farmers will switch to other crops and that the country might be forced back to the era of rice importation.
One of the millers and Chairman of Umza International Farms in Kano, Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar, lamented over the activities of rice smugglers in the country, saying if the situation is not urgently addressed, it will kill the indigenous millers business.
“Smuggling is going on and it is a challenge to us, it can kill our industry, it can kill the farmers,’’ he said.
He accused some customs officers at the borders of conniving with the rice smugglers, and called on relevant government agencies to live up to expectations.
He was however satisfied with the level of farmers’ improvement in rice production in the country this year.
He said since October 7 when he started the procurement of rice paddy across the country, he has been receiving between 100 and 120 trucks loaded with paddy on daily basis.
“This is a significant progress in what we used to see over the years that we have been into production.
“This year, there is a tremendous increase in the production of paddy and the good thing is that, other states are trying to take over the
By Hussein Yahaya & Maryam Ahmadu-Suka
Daily Trust News
