The Federal Government has convened Federal and State institutions and key industry stakeholders for a technical consultation on Nigeria’s rice value chain.
The consultation, held on Tuesday in Abuja, was aimed at strengthening food security, domestic production, farmer livelihoods, private-sector investment and consumer affordability, in furtherance of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to the sector.
Coordinated by the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit, PFSCU, the meeting followed a directive from its Steering Committee at its seventh meeting, chaired by the Vice President.
The Minister of Finance was represented by the Director, Technical Services, Bashir Abdukadir, who chaired the technical session, with Marion Moon assisting.
Participants included the Federal Ministries responsible for Finance; Agriculture and Food Security; and Industry, Trade and Investment, as well as major rice-producing States, relevant Federal institutions, farmers, processors, millers and industry associations.
The engagement focused on Nigeria’s food balance, including domestic production, strategic reserves, imports and exports, while considering market conditions, investment and consumer needs.
Discussions covered domestic rice production, cultivated area and yields, farmer economics, paddy and milled-rice prices, processing and milling activity, public and private stocks, trade flows, financing and investment.
Stakeholders identified the high cost of production as a major constraint to competitiveness, with rice production costs reported at about 2.2 to 2.3 million naira per hectare, while fertiliser accounts for approximately 35 percent of production costs.
High energy and irrigation costs, limited access to appropriately priced long-term financing, post-harvest losses and inadequate distributed storage were also identified as key pressures across the value chain.
Stakeholders called for greater investment in irrigation, including solar-powered water systems, stronger financing and refinancing options for viable mills and processors, improved storage and aggregation infrastructure, and measures to reduce production and logistics costs.
They also stressed the importance of predictable trade and import decisions that reflect domestic production cycles, noting that persistent price differentials can create incentives for smuggling.
The meeting further highlighted the need for an integrated food-market data framework covering production, stocks, imports, consumption and prices, alongside stronger food-safety, traceability, certification and testing systems.
Speaking on behalf of the rice industry, Vice President of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, RIFAN, Mohammed Auwalu, welcomed the engagement.
“We welcome Government’s continued engagement with stakeholders across the rice value chain. Bringing farmers, processors, States and Government together around the full food balance is important for strengthening coordination across the sector and supporting continued production and investment.”
The consultation will inform a consolidated technical report on the current dynamics and status of the rice value chain, including the food balance, market conditions, production economics, financing and investment environment, and priority actions for strengthening the sector.
The exercise also forms part of a broader approach to periodically review key staple food value chains, recognising that production, markets and consumer conditions evolve over time.
According to the PFSCU, the reviews will support timely coordination across the food-balance levers and help the Government sustain food availability and affordability, protect farmer livelihoods, strengthen investor confidence and build a more resilient and competitive food economy.
Boluwatife Enome
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