Nigerian farmers urge government to control rice price

The Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) has urged the Federal Government to ensure a predictable market in the rice value chain.

Oyo State RIFAN President Mr Samuel Akinade made the call in an interview with the Nigerian News Agency in Ibadan on Monday.

Akinade pointed out that the cost of rice if regulated, will ensure market predictability and control the unjustified increase in the price of what consumers buy due to the activities of middlemen.

“If we plant rice because the rain is good and we harvest it, and we sell it to the millers at a moderate price, the millers will add their cost to it.

“But as soon as it leaves the grinding centres, it is unknown what will happen between then and when it reaches the table of consumers.

“There are middlemen who will sell the product and they can decide to sell it for anything.

“Also, the strength of supply and demand will run its course, especially as people now start to switch to local rice because of its nutritional value,” he said.

According to him, the price will go up because more people will buy it and that is why our market in Nigeria is unpredictable, everyone does what they want with the market.

“If there is control by the government, it can regulate the price at the different stages of production and stipulate the price for the marketers, which will be fine.

“If the government says that paddy has this cost to the millers, the millers should release it at this price and then the trader should sell it in the market at this price, that will be fine.

“But in the case where farmers release moderately priced rice, the millers who produced added something, what about the marketers? Who controls the vendors? No one!

“That is why we cannot predict the price of rice. Also, when people say that paddy rice is expensive, it is because the chemicals that we use now are very expensive, even the high cost of tractors is part of why rice is expensive,” he said.

Akinade, a beneficiary of the Federal Government’s Anchors Borrowers program through the Central Bank of Nigeria, said the cost of agricultural inputs had skyrocketed.

“The farmer will add the cost of inputs from the land to determine the cost of production and then add his own profits and services to determine the price of rice.

“The contribution comes from the felling and uprooting of trees. If the state or federal government wants to help, that is the area they can come to, in preparing the land for planting to take place.

“But so far, because of rice cultivation, they have not shown interest,” he said.

Akinade said that now that the rain has started to fall, land preparation continues, adding; “At this level, the stability of the rain cannot be relied upon for now.

“We do not know what God wants to do, maybe it will continue like this. But the rain must continue like this because we expect it to rain for three or four weeks before the rain levels off.

“And for rice, we need regular water. Maybe at the end of April people can be planting.

“Where the land is like Fadama, ‘Akuro’ land, meaning low irrigated plains supported by ‘shallow’ aquifers found along with major river systems, people can start planting around this time.

“Land preparation is the main operation now. For now, we can clear the land and plough.

“If the land is soft enough for the tractor to plough, you can start ploughing now, on the first lap. Then you plough the second one and plant immediately,” she added.