Rice processors want land borders tightened, more infrastructure to boost production

The Director General of Rice Processors Association of Nigeria (RIPAN), Andy Ekwelem has urged the government to tighten border surveillance to reduce the smuggling of foreign rice, as a way of encouraging local production.

This is just as Ekwelem charged the incoming government to deploy emergence action towards the repair and expansion of infrastructure, especially irrigation facilities which he said would boost rice production.

Addressing journalists on Tuesday in Abuja, the RIPAN Director General said the country’s
current Border Surveillance System should be re-organized to enable the Customs and other agencies at the borders carry out all weather surveillance.

He said modern security equipment such as Long-Range Surveillance Drones, Video monitors and night vision scopes should be deployed to the border security if they are not currently being used.

Ekwelem expressed hope that the incoming administration will channel resources towards the repair/expansion of agricultural infrastructure across the country to enable multiple cycle of cultivation.

“We also hope that the federal and state governments through their ministries of agriculture and rural development will consider better ways to effectively manage and maintain the dams within their purview.

“Indeed, it is will be very beneficial to Nigerian Agriculture if they will commence the de-silting of the various dams and bodies of water within the country to help provide for the water needed by farmers for irrigation as well as mitigate flooding.

“Also, the Government will need to an emergence intervention on Power Generation and supply to industries to lessen the burden of huge capital investment in diesel power generation so that finished products can be competitive

“The Government will seriously consider building good road infrastructure especially to rural communities where the farmers mostly reside to enable them transport harvested crops to the market”, he stated

He urged the Ministry of Agriculture to develop a viable mechanized service programme for the provision of Tractors and Planters, Threshers and Dryers and strategic farm-silo/warehouses (to curb post-harvest loses), etc. to small holder rural farmers who form the bulk of crop producers in the country.

“We would advise the government to design and create an agricultural flagship platform that can lend to agriculture at single interest rate as it is practiced globally. This could be achieved through the creation of a “grain risk fund” that can take care of the exigencies of the grain industry”, he added.

Ekwelem also called for funding programme to enable Processors engage in Paddy Production through large-scale farming, out grower Scheme, contract farming.

He said the Association has enjoyed considerable support from the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari which he said led to reduction of rice importation.

“As at the last quarter of 2014, official Rice import into Nigeria from Thailand was about 1.24 million tons of rice; by the end of 2015, these imports had dropped to about 644,131MT, and by the end of 2016, it dropped to 58,260MT. In 2017, the imports further dropped to 23,192MT but by 2022, it dropped to an all-time minimal of 438MT.

“However, because rice is a key staple food stock for Nigerian, smugglers considered take it as an a-rated trade item and consequently, smuggle millions of tons of finished packaged rice from India, Thailand and other southeast Asian countries into the Nigeria from our porous borders with Benin Republic, Niger Republic and Cameroon.

“Fortunately, with the Border Restriction Policy of the President Buhari’s administration the menace was effectively stemmed between the period starting August 2020 to the end of 2021.

“As a matter of fact, over 1.2MT of Rice imported to Benin from India and Thailand between May 2019 and August 2019, became trapped in Benin causing the imports of rice from India to Benin to drop from a monthly average of 75,000MT between January and September 2019 to less than 2,000MT in the last quarter of 2019.

“Also, the volume of Thai rice imported to Benin Republic, fell from a monthly average of 100,000MT to 5,000MT tons by November 2019.

“The Rice Processors Association Nigeria (RIPAN) hopes that the incoming administration will follow through some of the laudable policies of the current administration as well as design and launch new ones to further strengthen and sustain the Nigeria Rice Industry”, he noted.