Rice farmers lament as increased imports cripple sector

Some local farmers have decried the increased importation of rice, a situation they claim is crippling Nigeria’s local production.

The farmers disclosed this in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Lagos.

NAN reports that local rice production has declined since the Federal Government’s import duty waiver on rice and other essential commodities in 2024.

The Acting Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria and a rice farmer, Mr Sakin Agbayewa, said local farmers had been suffering since the increase in rice importation.

“With the renewal of the import waiver on rice and other essential commodities, there have been tonnes of shipments of rice coming into the country.

“The increase in the importation of rice is crippling local cultivation of the commodity and keeping a lot of farmers out of business.

“Also, current climate change realities are not helping the production of rice locally. The inconsistency in climate patterns is a major factor affecting local cultivation of rice, hence the downturn for most rice farmers.

“Moreover, the ongoing Iran-Israel-US war is affecting the price of fertilisers, thereby increasing the cost of production for an average rice farmer. All agro-inputs are on the increase.

“So, ordinarily, the situation is beyond what the common or subsistence farmer can handle, hence the reconsideration of cultivating the crop this planting season,” Agbayewa said.

He noted that most rice farmers were at their wit’s end on how to survive in a sector dominated by imports.

“So, at what capacity do we expect the average local farmer to produce?

“If a farmer goes to the farm to cultivate and pegs his selling price at N60,000 or N65,000, and on the other hand, a moneybag can easily import 100,000 metric tonnes of rice into the country and sell at N40,000 per bag, how can local rice farmers survive in such a tough terrain?

“With this increased importation of rice, local farmers don’t even have the chance to grow, and this is killing local production.

“The percentage of local rice production has dropped significantly.

“So, we need to build more capacity for local farmers to continue cultivation, so the sector does not collapse entirely,” he said.

Also, the Lagos State Chairman, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, Mr Raphael Hunsa, called on the government to support local rice production, saying farmers are overwhelmed by pressures in the sector.

“The issue of rice farming is very unpredictable; most rice farmers are just managing. Many cannot even afford fertilisers, let alone break even.

“We are not even talking about profit because there is no enabling environment for local rice farmers.

“If the government can support local farmers and make it easier for us, importers will no longer have a market.

“If the government takes the plight of local farmers seriously, we will still have more farmers in business,” Hunsa said.

He added that government support rarely reaches farmers.

“After all the costs we incur in rice production, from clearing the land to harvesting, some people still undermine our efforts by underpricing the rice.

“Some farmers have no choice but to sell their produce at very low prices just to feed their families,” he said.

A rice trader in the Agege area of the state, Mrs Tolu Ajiboye, confirmed a drop in rice prices due to the increased availability of imported rice.

“I don’t know how local rice can thrive with the increased availability of imported ones.

“Around the Easter celebration, a 50kg bag of rice sold for about N61,000 to N63,000, but now, due to the flooding of the market, the same quantity sells between N51,000 and N55,000, depending on the brand.

“Most local rice brands do not stand a chance to survive at this time.

“Even producers of local rice now rebag their rice in foreign bags to enable them sell their produce because of the growing preference for imported ones and their lower price range.

“But like most rice farmers and traders know, the sector is quite unpredictable. For now, there is availability and affordability of imported rice,” Ajiboye said. (NAN)