The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has blamed inconsistent government policies, inadequate agricultural financing, poor productivity and unreliable data for Nigeria’s widening rice production deficit, warning that structural weaknesses across the value chain threaten food security.
Abdulateef Shittu, the NGF Director-General, raised the concerns in Abuja on Wednesday at the launch of the Northwest Rice Diagnostic Report, disclosing that Nigeria produces 3.3 million metric tonnes annually against consumption of 8.6 million tonnes, projected to rise to 9.1 million tonnes next year.
“There are a lot of policy flip-flops, policy mismatch and quite a number of other challenges that we will all have to address”, Shittu said.
He, however, maintained that Nigeria had the resources to become self-sufficient and eventually export rice to African countries and Europe if governments sustained support for farmers.
Shittu stated that the NGF had established Rice Help Desks, a specialised data department and partnerships with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture to address production and governance challenges.
Ayodeji Oludare Sotinrin, the Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture (BoA),, said the bank financed 25 aggregators during the last wet season, facilitating input credit for more than 500,000 farmers, with plans to reach 700,000 in the current cycle.
He also announced plans to introduce guaranteed minimum prices for staple crops and deploy 2,000 additional tractors and 14,000 implements to expand mechanised farming.
Meanwhile, Andy Ekwelem, the Director-General of the Rice Processors Association of Nigeria, identified insecurity, adulterated inputs, poor farmer records and high energy costs as major obstacles to local production.
Ekwelem urged Governments to secure rice-producing corridors in Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto and improve farmers’ access to certified seeds, fertilisers and extension services.
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