The Rice Processors Association of Nigeria (RIPAN) has backed the federal government partial closure of land border saying the decision could save Nigeria about N500bn.
The National Chairman of RIPAN Mohammed Abubakar Maifata told journalists in Abuja hat Nigeria risks losing over $400 million to rice smuggling if the over 1 million metric tonnes of rice already stocked in Benin Republic is allowed to enter the country.
He also said at least 500,000 metric tonnes of rice has been booked to target the yuletide period in Nigeria.
This, according to the chairman, would no doubt have a ripple effect on rice processors in the country as their activities would be hampered if this impending illegal importation is not checked.
According to him, the closure of the Nigerian Benin Republic border would go a long way to curb the menace of rice smuggling so that local producers would have a breather, adding that the association supports the current border closure by government.
He said his association joined other stakeholders in the rice subsector, namely, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), in commending the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the timely intervention and banning of rice since 2015, a development that has seen growth in local production of rice and serious saving of foreign exchange.
He commended the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for its current and rigorous fight against smuggling of the commodity, and enjoined the various security agencies who are mandated by the current directive to raise the bar of the fight to check the various porous borders.
He said local rice millers have made a commitment to the federal government they will meet the supplies gap adding that a bag of local rice shouldn’t be sold for above N15,000 as dealers get at maximum N14,000 per 50kg bag.
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