Alhaji Babatunde Mukaila (ASECO Chair of ANLCA)
I am of the opinion that rice should remain banned through the land borders. If we really want to talk about helping our national economy, part of it is that we should be self-sufficient in food production, especially on staple food like rice. We have very good and vast land; rice can grow in many part of Nigeria, so there shouldn't be any reason for us to continue to use very little hard earned foreign exchange to import rice. So, my opinion is that rice should be banned fully through the sea and land borders. With time, Nigeria would grapple with the fact that we need to grow our own rice and feed ourselves. I believe we have the capacity, it might take time, but we need to put the structure on ground and the facilities.
Babalola Temitope (ICNL)
A successful country only import products that cannot be produce in that country. Importation of rice should be completely banned because our land can do better in rice plantation. Exporting our own rice will increase our GDP and create employment for the youths in the country. If importation of rice is allowed, then our purpose of economic diversification into agriculture will be useless. Its high time Nigeria government took bull by the horn. China is doing well today because they are almost all over the world exporting China products. It is only exportation of our agriculture products that will lead this country out of recession. We have been battling with high cost of rice since ban has been placed on it, this lead to massive rice cultivation in the country which is already at the harvest stage, what’s the need for importation again? Is it to kill our own? Or to discourage those who had spent time and money in planting rice. Nigeria made rice has better nutrient and is better off than foreign type, our locally made rice is about to hit the market at a cheaper rate, therefore there is no need lifting the ban on importation of rice into Nigeria.
Akanni Balogun (Coordinator, ANLCA at Tin Can)
If we are a serious country, we don't need to import rice because we are an agrarian nation where we have fatile land to produce rice. I am aware that right now in Kebbi State, they have large scale mechanised rice farmers, Kebbi State even signed an MoU with Lagos State on agriculture. These people were embarrassed the last time government lifted ban on rice because they were producing rice massively, government even backed them up and gave them money, but by the time the ban was lifted, people neglected local rice. I know we have in Nigeria, Ofada rice, Abakaliki rice and rice abere produced here, it is a shame if we continue to import rice, it means that we are a lazy country, we have land, but we are running away from it.
Ugochukwu Nnadi (NAGAFF)
The issue of rice importation is not all about either coming in through the land borders or the seaports, the problem is the policy on rice is against the populace. Whether it comes through the land borders or through the seaports it is still creating problem. As we speak now there is no bag of rice in the market that is not smuggled either directly or indirectly, because if you import rice through the seaports, you will not sell that rice less than N30,000 because if you import through the ports legitimately where you have to pay 10% duty and 100% levy there is no way you can sell at a lower price than what I have mentioned. The policy in place is to rob poor Nigerians and give to the rich. N2 trillion has been collected as levy on rice since year 2000 till date yet the money has not been used for anything and if government should ban rice import then hunger will kill people in this country but we can support locally produced rice because it will be cheaper and healthier when compared to some of the rice imported, but the truth is that government needs to revisit that policy.
Omoba Ilesanmi Olufemi (Clearing Agent)
It would be a welcomed development for the Federal government to ban rice importation through land borders, I believe it was to encourage Nigerians to patronise locally produced rice but unfortunately the local producers turned it into an avenue to increase the price and make life so difficult for an average Nigerian. Personally, I want to advocate that the ban on rice be lifted so that the price will come down before Christmas so that people can have enough food to eat, we will thank the government for the price reduction.
Elder Donatus Oforma (NAGAFF)
Rice is a very important commodity in Nigeria and rice and garri are two food Nigerians cannot do without. We voted for change no doubt but that change is negative to the people, therefore the government must revisit the policy on rice. Government is recovering the looted funds from everywhere and those funds should be invested in the agriculture sector especially rice and the only way for them to redeem their image is to review the policy on rice to suit the common man.
Prince Segun Oduntan (Chairman, Tin Can Chapter, ANLCA)
Rice should remain banned. The story that was sent out over the weekend about customs lifting ban on rice was an old publication of 2015, but some mischievous smugglers backed by cabals are trying to bring it back to create confusion. We cannot continue to import rice when we have our own local rice. It is only when government ban rice import that people would improve on their local production. You need to go around Nigeria and see the green land that we have, go to the North and travel by road, take a chopper and look at our green land that we could use to grow anything. One thing about us in Nigeria is that if there are no challenges, we would not aspire to do better. The problem we are having right now is short supply of local rice and that was why importation is allowed to supplement it, but it's not to be permanently legalised. We need to shut our borders against importation of rice.
Sir Patrick Osita Chukwu (SNFFIEC)
I don't support the ban on rice from any corner; whether through the ports or border rice must be allowed to come in, provided the best mechanism is put in place. Banning of rice from the land border is totally wrong because there are some people who cannot bring in rice through the seaport and considering the cost of doing business in our ports, there is need to allow free flow of import through the land borders. High freights in Nigeria ports have made businessmen to look elsewhere as ways of importing this commodity into Nigeria. Government needs to look inward and allow rice to come in through the land borders and seaports , because there are indications that the rice farmers are influencing the government to ensure that the ordinary man does survive.
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