Lift Ban On Rice Importation

It was cheering news last week when President Muhammadu
Buhari, announced the reopening of Nigeria’s land borders.
It was reported that ban on importation of rice and poultry products is yet to be lifted until December 31, 2020.
Recall that last year, Federal Government placed restriction on land borders movement as well as ban on importation of foods.
Some of the prohibited items included rice, poultry, wheat, milk, sugar, exotic foods among others.
The president also directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) not to issue foreign exchange for importation of food into the country because the Federal Government reasoned that foreign reserve would be conserved and utilised for diversification of Nigeria’s economy instead of encouraging more dependence on foreign food import bills.
The Federal Government felt that there was steady improvement in agricultural production and attainment of food security.
Although critics and experts condemned the idea and saw it as a wrong approach.
I see this policy as a good one in the sense that our local industries have to be protected. Jobs will be created when more rice mills and industries are established.
But the truth is that Nigeria is not producing enough food especially rice to serve the masses.
Experts say that Nigeria requires about eight million tonnes of rice annually but that it is producing less than four million tones, that is below capacity.
Now that the pains of ban on importation for over a year now has been felt by many households, Federal Government should take a second look and put many factors into consideration to alleviate the hardship.
It was really difficult for many families to purchase a Custard rubber of rice. The price of rice skyrocketed.
It is true that Nigeria does not import yam, beans, maize, cassava as some of our staple food which can grow in our local farms. Production of rice is quite different from others.
Experts in soil science and agricultural engineers must advise on which type of soil and locations for rice plantation.
Processes in rice production can take longer time and incurs more expenses. Rice mills have to be established and more machines for selecting shafts and stones made available.
The truth is that a lot of people do not eat locally manufactured rice due to some complaints.
Unlike the foreign rice where any cook will just wash and boil, the local rice must be selected, blown to remove shafts, parboiled and washed twice or more times before you get a standard you may want.
Although the local rice tastes better than the foreign one. Imagine a mother who will go to work or private business and needs to prepare rice for her family as early as 5.00am, especially children’s (lunch box) will start selecting stones and shaft.
In Nigeria today, there is no doubt that there is shortage of food generally. The case of onions calls for concern. For three months now, the price of onions rose to the extent that the average house wife could not lay hands on it.
The high cost of rice both, foreign and local, affected the prices of garri, beans, yam, noodles, among others. The attainment and satisfaction of other basic needs have been threatened and compromised due to high cost of food.
The looting of COVID-19 palliatives by hoodlums who allegedly hijacked the #EndSARS protests in many parts of the country shows the extent to which hunger exists in the land. Women, men and even children were also involved in the looting.
By right, adequate food ought to be accessible to everyone including the vulnerable individuals such as infants and young children, elderly, physically challenge, people with terminal ailment and mentally retarded. The unemployed in the society also need food.
This initiative by the Federal Government to reopen land borders shows a high level of sympathy for her citizens.
The advantages and disadvantages of international trade cannot be overemphasised.
The law of comparative advantage also comes in here. A country which can import a commodity at a cheaper rate instead of producing it at a higher cost can do so.
We are not unaware that one of the factors responsible for restriction of imported goods is to protect local industries. But if our local industries are producing below capacity, importation can make Nigeria have more to feed the populace and not to suffer when it is produced locally, then better for us.
Subsidising food import is a little thing the Federal Government can do for her citizens. More funds should be channeled into the agricultural sector to boost food production. When this is done, then we beat our chests and say, we have achieved food security and sufficiency.
Let us assume that this is the first phase of government’s initiative on reducing foreign exchange on food imports, before the next phase, the Federal Government should involve a multi-sectoral engagement of farmers, food processors, banking, transport, electricity among other sectors to brianstorm on the possible ways of achieving food security and sufficiency before taking such decision.
There should be a gradual process with long-term planning, putting in place incentives and measurable targets that will enhance mass production of rice that will feed the nation.
For now, Government should allow importation from neighbouring countries to complement what is being produced locally.
Rice farmers should be provided with loans to enable them meet up the challenges of production. Provision of machines and equipment for selecting and filtering of stones and shafts becomes very necessary. The quality of local rice should be equal to that of foreign so that the standard required by the people will be met and free seeds of the varieties to farmers.
Government should consider issues regarding production and processing by buying some of the medium scale processing mills and giving them to cooperative society groups with discounts.
It is important that Federal Government partners with relevant stakeholders to ensure that land degradation and climate change mitigation safeguards are put in place to ensure effective massive farming activities.
When incentives are provided, they will go a long way in assisting the country to meet the required target of rice production and consumption in the next four to five years before Nigeria can think of banning importation of rice.
While we commend President Muhammadu Buhari for reopening of Nigeria’s land borders, we await the lifting of ban on rice importation.

By: Eunice Choko-Kayode