Abakaliki Rice Mill Destroys 70 Sub-Standard Bushels

The leadership of the Abakaliki Rice Mill Ltd in Ebonyi State has destroyed 70 sub-standard bushels used by some members to short-change customers in the state.

The Chairman of the mill who supervised the destruction, Chief Joseph Ununu, told newsmen in Abakaliki that the measure was taken to sanitise the mill and check activities of unscrupulous members.

“I heard a rumour last month that some of our members use sub-standard bushel to sell rice to customers and I subsequently set up a committee to investigate the matter.

“The committee discovered that the allegation was true which made us to inspect the stalls of members and discovered the substandard bushels and destroyed them with the help of Iron benders.

“We also clamped an indefinite suspension on the defaulters to serve as a deterrent to others who want to cheat customers.’’

Ununu said the development would rebuild customers’ confidence in the mill as all hands were on deck to ensure that customers got value for their money.

“The committee we set up is still at work, inspecting stalls to identify more sub-standard bushels and report the defaulting members to us,’’ he said.

The chairman explained that the standard measurement for a full bushel was 100 cups, adding that any member caught selling below the standard would be penalised and the bushel destroyed.

The chairman apologised to customers who had fallen victim of the exploitation and assured them that the continue to evolve measures to sanitise the mill.

“Our members are advised to shun acts that will tarnish the image of the mill because any money acquired through cheating would end up in vanity,” he said.

Ununu advised customers to ascertain the brand of rice they intended to purchase in order to check sharp practices by some of its members.

“We have many brands of rice such as Ferro 44, 52 (long grain rice), 54, 61, R8 (short grain rice), max, among others.

“A customer should identify the brand of rice he/she wants to buy with these descriptions, to avoid being short-changed,’’ he said.

The chairman, however, urged customers to report any member who exploited them to the mill for necessary action.