- Title: NIGERIA: New mill aims to increase local rice production.
- Date: 26th September 2013
- Summary: KWARA, NIGERIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF EXTERIOR OF RICE MILLING FACTORY STORAGE FACILITY VARIOUS OF MAN WORKING ON MILLING MACHINE VARIOUS OF RICE FALLING INTO A SACK VARIOUS OF MILLING MACHINES VARIOUS OF QUARRA RICE REPRESENTATIVES TALKING PART OF A SHIRT BRANDED: QUARRA RICE (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHINEDU OKEKE, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, QUARRA RICE SAYING: "We are paving the way for other private investors, private companies to follow, we don't plan to feed the whole of Nigeria but someone needs to take the first steps to feeding our country. Our country is not sustainable, we have no food security, yeah, 20,000 tonnes, a hundred thousand tonnes isn't marginal compared to our six million consumption, but you know, you have to start somewhere. This is only the beginning and if it means within fifty years we can start to feed our country, then at least we are going somewhere, but if we continue to think that 20,000 tonnes isn't marginal to what we really consume, then we are going to continue importing and relying on the rest of the world to feed ourselves." VARIOUS OF MACHINES IN PROCESSING PLANT (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEVINDER MEHAN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, QUARRA RICE, SAYING: "We understand that there is a lot of imported rice in the country and if our rice is not better than the imported rice, then we will not be doing our job, so we will be producing the local paddy rice, the locally grown varieties. We will be producing rice as clean as nicely parboiled as nicely polished, sorted as imported rice." VARIOUS OF MEN WORKING IN A RICE FARM RICE VARIOUS OF MUSTAPHA DAUDA, RICE FARMER WALKING IN HIS RICE FARM RICE PLANT (SOUNDBITE) (English) MUSTAPHA DAUDA, RICE FARMER, SAYING: "With that factory they are bringing to us, I think if we are to after harvesting, if they are to take it from us, I think they will take it higher than we have been selling it before so I'm expecting that if they can take it from us, the more profit it will be for me" MOTORCYCLIST GOING DOWN ROAD
- Embargoed: 11th October 2013 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Nigeria
- Country: Nigeria
- Topics: Business,Industry
- Reuters ID: LVA522TBF3GXPKAJDFAEPJGH2YY7
- Story Text: Nigeria's newest and largest rice processing mill located in Kwara state in the country's western region, promises to soon transform rice production in the country, increasing quality rice varieties on the market while promoting local output.
The processing plant with an estimated annual capacity of 30,000 tonnes of rice is still undergoing construction, but should be operational in time for the next harvest season in November.
The mill is located within a 100 kilometre radius of Nigeria's most fertile rice growing territory.
Products expected from the rice mill will include milled, parboiled rice and rice flour, which will be sold in Nigeria.
The company hopes this will rival more than 5 percent of the nation's annual rice imports.
Chinedu Okeke is the business development manager of Quarra Rice Limited.
"We are paving the way for other private investors, private companies to follow, we don't plan to feed the whole of Nigeria but someone needs to take the first steps to feeding our country. Our country is not sustainable, we have no food security, yeah, 20,000 tonnes, a hundred thousand tonnes isn't marginal compared to our six million consumption, but you know, you have to start somewhere. This is only the beginning and if it means within fifty years that we can start to feed our country, then at least we are going somewhere, but if we continue to think that 20,000 tonnes isn't marginal to what we really consume, then we are going to continue importing and relying on the rest of the world to feed ourselves," said Okeke.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, Nigeria is the second largest importer of rice in the world with purchases of about two million metric tonnes annually. Most imports come from Thailand.
The challenge with local production in the West African country is that people will always prefer the imported brands because local brands come unpolished, unattractive and filled with tiny stones, making a meal experience unpalatable.
Local rice is not popular in the market as consumers would not want to buy and spend hours sorting the rice.
Quarra rice will therefore have to produce high quality rice to win customers.
"We understand that there is a lot of imported rice in the country and if our rice is not better than the imported rice, we will all be doing our job, so we will be producing the local paddy rice, the locally grown variety. We will be producing rice as clean, as nicely parboiled, as nicely polished...sorted as imported rice," says Devinder Mehan, Chief executive of Quarra Rice Limited.
As Nigeria strives for ways to diversify from oil reliance to other sources of income, the country recently focused on agriculture for the first time at the Nigeria annual economic summit.
The summit was an opportunity for leaders to discuss on ongoing reforms in Nigeria's agricultural sector with focus on how to improve it and attain food security especially with the fertile and great climate that can easily produce food for the country, and the region at large.
Agriculture is the biggest employer in the country and accounts for 40 percent of economy.
Mustapha Dauda, a farmer in Kwara, has been growing rice for seven years now and hopes that the new processing plant will offer farmers like him good prices for their produce.
Dauda makes about 950 US dollars a year when the weather is favourable.
"With that factory they are bringing to us, I think if we are to after harvesting, if they are to take it from us, I think they will take it higher than we have been selling it before so I'm expecting that if they can take it from us, the more profit it will be for me," he said.
Nigeria aims to become self-sufficient by 2015 after introducing a 100 percent tax on polished rice imports this year, likely to mostly affect countries like India, Thailand and Brazil.
Authorities want to add 20 million tonnes of domestic food production by 2020 and rice, corn, sorghum, palm oil and cocoa have already increased. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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