Nigerian rice processors want sale of foreign rice criminalised

The Rice Processors Association of Nigeria (RPAN) has appealed to the federal government to criminalise the sale of foreign rice in the country.

The Director General of the association, Andy Ekwelem, stated this while addressing journalists in Abuja on Saturday over the influx of smuggled rice into the country.

Mr Ekwelem said that if the government did not take decisive action on smuggled rice, all the mills in the country would collapse and lead to many jobs losses.

He stated that the rice value chain sub-sector had engaged “about 13 million Nigerians” on direct employment.

He added that the number of people that would lose their jobs to the activities of smugglers would be much especially in this trying period.

He said that the government tackled the menace of rice smuggling but with the reopening of borders by the federal government, the markets were flooded with foreign rice again.

“We have said it many times on the need for government to criminalise sales of foreign rice in the markets and supermarkets. Rice is number one on the list of prohibited products in which CBN placed forex restriction.

“It is assumed that any rice you see in this country now, in the markets, shops and even in your homes that is not Nigeria made rice, it is smuggled into the country.

“The country is losing revenue because these smugglers are not paying the right duties to bring the rice into the country and this ugly development is killing our economy.