By Faridat Salifu
Stakeholders in the rice sector have linked the persistent surge in rice prices across Nigeria to the activities of cartels, middlemen, and dishonest actors in the value chain, despite repeated government efforts to boost production and reduce costs.
Stakeholders told newsmen in Lagos on Sunday that price instability is now being driven more by market manipulation than by production shortfalls alone.
The Vice Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Sakin Agbayewa, said government initiatives to stabilise prices have not achieved the desired impact because of human factors within both local production and import channels.
He recalled that the Federal Government recently granted temporary waivers for limited rice imports to reduce prices, yet the intervention failed to reach genuine farmers.
“Although some farmers were empowered with a 75 per cent reduction in production costs and others were given free fertiliser, the question is whether they actually cultivated anything,” Agbayewa said.
According to him, during the waiver period rice prices briefly dropped, but much of the imported stock was stored by traders who later created scarcity once the waiver expired.
He also noted that some local producers repackage Nigerian rice in foreign-branded sacks to sell at inflated prices, taking advantage of consumers’ preference for imported products.
“This hike is not about production capacity alone. Some unscrupulous farmers, middlemen and retailers are frustrating government efforts to keep prices stable,” he added.
Lagos State Chairman of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Raphael Hunsa, urged the government to engage directly with genuine rice growers to ensure that interventions are properly targeted.
“The price of rice will keep rising if the government fails to support real farmers. They need to sit with us, understand our problems and channel assistance through the right hands,” Hunsa said.
He called on local farmers to stop selling subsidised inputs supplied by government, stressing that fertilisers and other support packages are meant to sustain production, not to be traded for quick cash.
Market surveys confirm that prices remain unstable.
At Oja Oba Market in Agege, rice dealer Mustafa Aliu reported that local rice currently sells between N70,000 and N80,000 per 50kg bag following the expiration of the import waiver.
“We can only sell at the prices we buy. There is no foreign rice among my stock, only Nigerian rice, which is clean and healthy,” Aliu said.
In Iddo, trader Temitayo Hakeem noted that strong demand for foreign rice has kept premium varieties selling as high as N145,000 to N150,000 per bag.
Industry observers warn that without closer monitoring of distribution channels and direct engagement with authentic producers, government efforts to stabilise prices may have limited impact, deepening food inflation and worsening hardship for households.
Source: NAN
