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Rice farmers blame price hike on low cultivation, others

The Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Lagos State Chapter, has blamed low cultivation of rice for the hike in price of the commodity across the country.

Its Chairman, Raphael Hunsa, said the country's rice production is being impacted by a number of factors, including a shortage of labour, outdated machinery, insufficient state and Federal Government support and insecurity.

Hunsa stated this yesterday while addressing the media in the state.

He said the sector and farmers needed urgent attention just as he appealed to the government to amplify its support towards rice farmers and cultivation in the country in order to promote produce sufficiency.

To facilitate a boost in the industry, he called for investments in cutting-edge mechanised equipment, noting that a dearth of such equipment had deterred many farmers from cultivation.

"Rice farmers are not much, we are just educating and encouraging people to come into the value chain so that we can have more paddy and milling all-year-round.

"We want government to support us by providing all the equipment required for rice cultivation. We need to combine harvester, tractor, planter, and other modern machineries that can move us forward and improve our rice production level.

“Without all these modern machineries, we cannot achieve self-sufficiency in rice production. We cannot move forward if we remain in our local practice, we will just be producing for consumption.”

Hunsa stressing the need for more government intervention in rice production said: "Other countries like Indonesia, Pakistan and India support their rice farmers with modern mechanised equipment and seedlings.

"Their governments support them heavily and that is why the farmers in those countries produce rice in large quantities.

“What is stopping us in Nigeria from producing rice sufficiently? We have the land, we have the weather and human resources.

“What we are lacking is full commitment and investment in rice cultivation on the part of the government.

“Those countries that we are importing rice from, we also can do better than them if we get the right support.

“Nigeria can also export our local rice if government concentrates and gives us all the needed support.”

He further noted that given the current circumstances, there may not be enough rice for the Yuletide, which would undoubtedly have a significant effect on the price.

"The rice in circulation won’t be enough but we will manage it though it will be expensive,” he stated.

Traders and consumers have continued to groan over the surging cost of local rice even as the Yuletide approached. They wondered why domestic rice was much more expensive than imported varieties.

Many demanded the importation of foreign brands while simultaneously urging the government and stakeholders to take immediate action. They argued that would offset the local rice price increase.