Rice Dealers Raise alarm over Circulation of Poor Quality Rice in the Country

Rice Millers, Processors and Dealers Association of Nigeria have alerted Nigerians that poor quality rice has been smuggled into the Nigerian market. The Vice-Chairman, RIMDAN, Mr. Tunji Owoeye, expressed the association’s concerns over the poor quality of the commodity currently in the market, linking the development to the nation’s porous borders.
Owoeye made this known at a press briefing in Lagos, saying that the situation was impacting negatively on the health of the nation’s citizenry. He stressed the need for the government to urgently address the issue of smuggling through the land borders.
According to him, this is because smuggling activities will spell doom for the country’s rice value chain. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted Owoeye as saying, “If you follow the trend in the industry in the last six months, the government has increased duties to discourage importation in order to boost local production.
His words: “We support the government’s initiative, but as we increase levies and taxes, it gives the smugglers more room to operate, especially through the corridors of the Republic of Benin.”
InformationNigeria