Demand for local rice increases as cost of import goes high

The ongoing Dollars-Naira crisis, which affects import activities, has given rise to the consumption of local products.  
One of such commodities that have received good attention from Nigerians is the locally produced rice as the prices of imported rice have gone up significantly.
Speaking to Daily Trust, Mr. Mahesh Nimje, an official of Olam Rice Farm, Rukubi, Nasarawa State, said their locally produced rice is currently having good time in the market as people are beginning to appreciate the tremendous improvement in the quality of local rice. 
Mr. Nimje said they don’t have enough paddies currently to meet their factory capacity, adding that they will be willing to buy the product from farmers anywhere in the country.
He said: “With the current performance of our product in the market, we need more paddy rice but unfortunately we cannot find paddy anywhere at the moment. We don’t know if there are farmers who still have the product, we’ll be willing to buy from them to meet the capacity of our processing plant.”
In the same vein, Comrade  Ojinnaka C.P., Manager, Stine Rice  Amichi, Anambra  State, has told Daily Trust that the ongoing dollar crisis has led to an increase in demand for what they produce locally.
He, however, said the unavailability of paddy rice in the market is their major constraint at the moment as they need more paddies to meet growing demand.
The increase in the demand for local rice has also increased prices as 50kg sold for between N10,000 and N11,000 now sales for N12,500 in some Abuja markets.
In Katsina State, Labana rice processed and milled in Kebbi State has, in recent months, floods Funtua markets. Rice dealers in Funtua have, over the years, been importing rice through Jibia/Niger Republic border but recently they opted to buy from local rice mills as a result of the current rise in the exchange rate of Naira to the Dollar.
One of the dealers, Alhaji Amiru Funtua, said initially consumers were shunning Labana rice with an excuse that it is not as good as that of Thailand but, for some economic reasons, they now have no option than to patronise it. A rice consumer interviewed by Daily Trust in Funtua, Malam Danlami Sani, said for locally milled rice to gain wider acceptance, its price has to be reduced and government should completely ban rice importation.
Daily Trust observed that the price of locally processed rice that is being sold in measures is also affected by the economic situation in the country as it now costs N20,000 per 100kg bag against N16,000 in the last two years.
Ashiru Bala, a rice farmer, said the increase in the price of the commodity is a source of encouragement to them as they prepare more farmlands for rice cultivation in the next season. 
“With this development, we need no soothsayer to tell us that rice farming will soon become a lucrative venture,” Ashiru said.