The news is cheery. Importation of rice from Thailand has dropped from 644,131 tonnes to about 21,000 tonnes between September 2015 and September 2017, says the Federal Government.
With this, Nigeria is close to achieving self-sufficiency in the production of rice, a major staple food in the country.
The country is targeting the production of seven million tonnes of rice by next year as against total domestic consumption of 6.3 million tonnes as at 2015.
Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, said the sharp drop in importation was based on figures from the Thailand Rice Exporters Association.
He predicted that the price of rice would soon fall due to mass production.
”We are happy to tell Nigerians of a giant stride made by the administration in the agriculture sector, specifically rice production: Nigeria is inching closer to achieving self-sufficiency in rice, due to the success recorded by the Administration in the local production of rice.
“ In fact, the Thailand Rice Exporters Association has recently revealed that within a spate of just two years – From September 2015 to September 2017 – Nigeria’s rice importation dropped from 644,131 tonnes to just about 21,000MT,” Muhammed said.
He added that, “There is more good news to report: As a result of this Administration’s success in local production, some investors from Thailand have shown interest in establishing rice milling plants in Nigeria, and this is sure to further boost rice production in Nigeria.
“Four investors from Thailand are already in discussion with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to establish rice milling plants in Nigeria. You must understand that the investors from Thailand are here because they have lost over 600000 metric tonnes of imported rice into the country and it is a good decision to participate in what is happening here,” said the minister.
He was emphatic that the improvement in rice production across the country did not happen by accident. He attributed it to the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme, initiated by President Muhammadu Buhari, which supports farmers through inputs distribution and loans to boost rice production.
Mohammed said the increased rice production has, in turn, led to the establishment of rice mills, including the 120,000 tonne WACOT Mill in Kebbi and the 1,000, 000 tonne Dangote Rice Mill.
“So what does the increased production of rice portend for the country? It means, as I said earlier, that Nigeria is very close to achieving self-sufficiency in rice. By 2018, the Administration targets rice production of 7 million MT. As at 2015, Rice demand in Nigeria stood at 6.3 million MT. There is also the fact that locally-produced rice is safer, tastier and healthier, in the words of the Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbe,” Mohammed noted.