Wisdom Engraced
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The Competitive African Rice Forum—Nigeria Chapter (CARF-FSD Nigeria) has issued a stark warning about the future of Nigeria’s rice industry, calling for urgent government intervention to reverse the looming collapse of the sector. According to the organisation, policy inconsistencies, unchecked smuggling, and selective import waivers are dismantling two decades of progress in Nigeria’s rice self-sufficiency drive.
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Chairman of the Board of Trustees of CARF-FSD Nigeria, Peter Dama, stated that over 13 million metric tons of domestic milling capacity now lies grossly underutilised, while imported and smuggled rice floods the market, forcing local mills to shut down and farmers to abandon their harvests. Dama attributed the crisis to the Federal Government’s 180-day duty waiver on food imports, including husked brown rice, which came into effect in July 2024.
“This waiver wiped out nearly a decade of hard-earned gains. It has crushed rural economies and reversed efforts to create inclusive, sustainable agricultural growth,” Dama said. He warned that if the situation persists, the fallout could extend beyond the economy, fueling insecurity, mass migration, and political disillusionment, particularly with general elections approaching in 2027
“This is no longer just an agricultural issue — it is a political, economic, and security flashpoint,” Dama emphasised. To address the crisis, CARF-FSD Nigeria called on the Federal government to ensure trade policies are transparent and equitable, reaffirm rice as a protected strategic crop, enhance customs enforcement, establish a national rice buffer stock, and support paddy production.
The group stressed that the domestic rice sector is not the cause of rising food prices, but rather the most scalable and inclusive solution to address them. “If protected and empowered, Nigeria’s rice industry can feed the nation, reduce import dependence, generate jobs, and drive rural development,” the group affirmed, reiterating their readiness to partner with the government to secure a stable, resilient, and self-sufficient rice economy for Nigeria
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Jonathan Nwokpor
