Rice farmers have raised the alarm over the collapse of Nigeria’s rice industry, attributing the shutdown of local mills and mass job losses to cheap imports, insecurity, and lack of government support.
The Chairman of the Competitive African Rice Forum Nigeria, Peter Dama, lamented the closure of processing facilities and their devastating impact on workers in a statement released on Sunday.
“Our mills have been shut down. We have retrenched workers. Is this the future for us in this country?” he said. He recalled a time when Nigeria’s rice production reached unprecedented levels, hitting eight million metric tons, which met much of the national demand without complaints from Nigerians.
Dama linked the industry’s decline to escalating insecurity, which severely disrupted farming activities.
“It was after the rise in banditry and kidnapping that farming became challenging, and production suffered.” He dismissed claims that the rice pyramids displayed across various states were mere propaganda.
“The pyramids were exhibited in Abuja and other states as part of zonal displays. Despite some media claims that these were fake structures and that paddy rice was unavailable, the truth is that paddy was produced, distributed, milled, and payments made,” he said.
Defending farmers who received government support, he stressed their integrity.
“While there are so-called ‘political rice farmers’, our members who received assistance genuinely utilised it for rice production.” Nigeria’s rice output once approached self-sufficiency at eight million metric tonnes.
“We reached about eight million tonnes, nearly meeting Nigerian demand. However, the industry crashed because we needed just about three million more to sustain it.” He clarified the production-consumption gap.
“Our production capacity was approximately 5.3 million metric tonnes, while consumption stood at 8.5 million metric tonnes. But now, production has declined further.”
Highlighting the unfair competition from imports, Dama said, “Imported rice is cheaper because importers evade taxes and receive subsidies. They bring rice into Nigeria at prices as low as $10 to $20 per tonne.”
With the 2027 general elections approaching, industry leaders warn of broader political and security risks if the decline persists.
“The loss of jobs, income, and opportunities for rural youth may trigger unrest in agricultural regions, increase rural-urban migration, strain cities, and foster disillusionment with public policy, threatening national unity,” the statement warned.
Dama urged the Federal Government to take decisive steps to revive the rice industry, including ending all selective import waivers on rice, reaffirming rice as a protected strategic crop, and strengthening border enforcement.
“End selective import waivers on rice and related food commodities. All trade incentives should be transparent, time-bound, and equitable,” he demanded.
He also called for the establishment of a national rice buffer stock to stabilise prices during harvest seasons and increased government support for irrigation, affordable inputs, mechanisation, and low-interest agricultural financing.
“Support paddy production through irrigation to enable double cropping cycles, supply affordable inputs, mechanise farming, and provide accessible low-interest agricultural financing,” Dama stated.
