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From the East to the West and North  to South, rice traders across Nigeria  share a common story of struggle.

According to the traders, they encounter numerous challenges in selling Nigerian rice, including financial burdens from deposits made to millers and the high costs associated with selling the product.

These, they said, often result in losses as rice that remains on the shelf for extended periods can change colour and lose its value.

“Nigerian rice has a short shelf life — typically only 2 to 3 months—before it changes colour and develops an unpleasant odour in heat”, one of the traders said.

But the claim degenerated into rancour as Peter Dama, President of the Rice Millers Association of Nigeria (RIMAN), immediately fired back, saying traders alleging Nigeria rice changes colour after three months went to get it from those who are not millers. 

“Millers mill according to standards. Many go into business and claim they are rice millers. Those women complaining must have gone through the wrong hands”, Dama told Sunday Vanguard.

“They didn’t go through proper millers. Registered millers follow Standard Organisation and NAFDAC standards for them to be able to produce and sell and they are always checked”.

The RIMA leader went on to say that the current hardship faced by traders and consumers are unlikely to improve unless the underlying issues affecting farmers and rice millers are addressed.

He highlighted challenges such as the soaring costs of fertilizers and production due to the removal of fuel subsidies, as well as insecurity that has led to the deaths of farmers and resulting in a scarcity of the essential raw material, paddy.

Source : vanguardngr