We can produce 100,000mt of rice per day – Niger millers, caution FG on Lagos MoU
By Stephen Ojo
Rice Millers in Niger State have the capacity to produce 100,000 metric tonnes of rice per day but due to lack of availability of paddy ricehas been impeding the operation of integrated mills in the state.
The Chairman of the Niger State chapter of Rice Millers Association of Nigeria (RIMAM), Engineer Adam Daban stated in a meeting with members in Minna on Thursday.
The chairman was reacting to the MoU signed in Lagos by the Federal Government, reiterating that Millers in Niger State alone has the capacity to produce over 100,000 M tonnesof rice daily.
Speaking further he said, ” RIMAM is
seriously concern over the acute shortage and lack of paddy in the state as a result of which many Mills are folding up from business.
“We have over 30 mills in Niger state out of which over 20 are integrated millers. The problem we have is that traders from Kano and other states mop up paddy from the state direct from farmers in the farms immediately at harvest. This has been the cause of astronomical increase in price of rice in Niger state “.
He explained that the price of rice has continued to skyrocket in the state because millers are unable to meet production capacity due to inability to access paddy which serve as raw material to the mills, adding that ” as we all know, Kano state has many rice mills but doesn’t produce paddy.
“They come to Niger with huge amounts of money to mop up the produce while some of the traders even enticed farmers with incentives”.
Lamenting that most of the rice mills in Niger state are being forced out of operation, Engr Daban said several mills are not operating below 30 percent of installed capacity due to availability of paddy in the state.
Daban called on farmer Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago to consider members of the association operating in the state in the allocation of paddy rice under the government agro mechanised farming programme before exporting the products to Lagos.
While commending the Governor for opening up the business aspect of agriculture in the state, he cautioned that the MoU between the state and the Lagos state government poses serious threat to Niger state millers if government does not capture them to getting access to paddy rice before supplying Lagos”.
He said, ” our assets are wasting away after investing huge sums in the industry because of lack of raw material which is rice paddy. We have can produce 100,000 tons per day if rice paddy is available for us.
In essence it will be detrimental to us if we don’t have access to rice paddy here in the state while the produce is given to Lagos. It will subsequently lead to job loss because we will have to sack workers “, he Said.