Pius David (Stakeholder)
Pius David (Stakeholder)
We are Nigerians and we want government to grow in their quest to ensure that the country and the economy meet with international best practice. I will not be happy if the government is making any policy that can make the citizens to cry, hence anybody that is sabotaging the effort the government is not a patriotic Nigerian. But then if the government is making any policy I think they should also look inward because the policy on rice did not go down well with us and the government also made a mistake by failing to access local farmers of the staple food properly before coming up with the policy. The government failed to balance the equation before coming out with the policy.
Comrade Gerard Govinson (RTEAN, TCIP)
Without proper agricultural policy in place, the ban of rice will only make life difficult for Nigerians and the citizens because there is no other better alternative to the commodity. The truth is that the rice farmers that we have in the country are not properly supported by government to produce more that can feed the nation as a whole. So I don't advice the government to place a ban on imported rice at the moment. I think the government should encourage the farmers to increase their production, give them incentives and also give them a time frame for them to produce in large scale; otherwise it won't make any sense at all.
Comrade Reuben Onyejike (Save Nigeria)
The government was supposed to encourage the farmers in Nigeria to produce the staple food in large quantity at first, before the hike on rice; but they just went ahead to increase the tariff without due consultations and that is why we have this problem of ships diverting the commodity to other countries which has also led the massive smuggling. We are not yet ripe to place a ban on rice import or hike in tariff because we don't have enough for consumption and by the time local farmers might have increased their output, then we can advise that they should increase the duty to discourage import.
Prince Olu Ologbese (Stakeholder)
Before any country can place a ban on a certain commodity, I think it must have surplus. But we fail to realise the fact that the rice farmers we have are more into small scale and those that produce in large quantity are not many in the country. Overtime, the policies of the government always fail Nigerian because they lack proper consultation. Before the duty hike on rice, we expected the government to have the product in abundance for export before coming up with the policy. The truth is that we don't have enough farms to produce rice in Nigeria and that is why the government needs to do more by encouraging the farmers to set up production of rice. I am not in support of rice import, but since we don't have enough lands to produce the commodity then government has to encourage farmers and with that in place, there will be massive job opportunity for our youths.
Uwaka Ossai (CEO, UwaCare Foundation)
Since the oil boom of the 1970s, domestic rice production has fallen below total demand for consumption leading to the importation of rice to close the shortfall. Nigeria's import of rice became statistically significant in 1976 when the country imported about 50,000 tons. Lately, the country imports close to 1 million tonnes of rice discounting any that may be coming in from Nigeria's sometimes porous borders. If the Government can adequately provide fertilizer for rice farmers across the country without partiality, then it is a welcome development for the country, it can also be a source of employment.
Ada Akpunonu (Vice Chair, ANLCA Tin Can)
We are going through a transformation period in all aspects of our economy, I know that change is the only thing that is permanent and it is usually difficult, if you look at the economy and the country as a whole, we are not supposed to be importing rice, we have the wherewithal, we have the land and the necessary resources for the production of rice, all we need is just for government to encourage the farmers, we have young graduates roaming about without work, various individuals can also set up farms for the production of rice, employ these able body men, and within the spate of three years we will start exporting rice, but we have to start from somewhere. So let's make this sacrifice. The truth is that right now we don't have enough and we are losing a lot of revenue because people are diverting from our various border stations, but if we can try to checkmate smuggling and make do with what we have in the country, it will even encourage the farmers to sell and have some margin.
Akani Balogun (ANLCA Tincan)
Rice is a staple food consumed by more than 60 percent of Nigerians, government should make a provision for our farmers to go for mechanized farming where they can produce rice in large quantities, what they are producing now is mere subsistence which is not even enough for us, so government should put something on ground so that more rice will be produced mechanically. Also, they should have given at least three years for the farmers to be able to produce, silos should be made available to store the remnants for other years, but we are too much in a hurry to ban.
Rev Jonathan Nicole (President, Shippers Association, Lagos)
Rice is a staple food, it is only if we are producing enough of it locally that government can say it wants to ban, but right now, our borders are porous, most of these rice shipments find their way to neighboring countries and the rice still finds their way to Nigeria to the detriment of the economy. Instead of banning rice importation through the border, what government ought to have done is allow it come in and still collect its 110 percent, just like what happened with the issue of the used vehicles. we are just doing merry-go-round and not actually solving the problem, facilities should be on ground to enable us produce rice in large quantities, the only rice we have is the Abakaliki rice which is full of stones, what stops them from buying sorting machines? If this continues, that means majority of Nigerians will be contending with appendicitis.
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