Rice dealers in Lagos State are now worried over the rise in the cost of the commodity.
The rice sellers linked the increase in price to inadequate supply of the commodity.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, in Lagos, on Wednesday, Oluwasikemi Ohundayo, a trader at the Igando Market, said that the ban on importation of rice was biting hard on the citizens.
“The road is not free again because of border closure and I believe the government did it to develop our own rice production capacity, but we do not have enough farmers.
“A lot of people are after white-collar jobs; even those that studied agriculture in schools are not ready to be farmers,” she said.
She expressed the hope that local rice production would increase, thereby forcing the cost of the commodity to reduce.
A rice seller at Isheri area of the state, Funmi Akinnawo, told NAN that the ban on rice importation, affected the availability of the commodity.
She said, “Many people are still buying foreign rice; they do not really believe in Nigerian rice. There are complaints that no matter how they clean it, there are still stones.”
They urged the Federal Government to ensure improvement in the quality of the Nigerian rice as well as ensure increased farming and supply.
Investigations by NAN reveal that a 50kg bag of local rice sells for between N24,000 and N25,000 while a 50kg bag of short-grain foreign rice sells for between N32,000 and N36,000.
Long-grain foreign rice sells for N28, 000 per 50kg bag.
In December 2021, short-grain foreign rice sold for N24,000, and long-grain, between N26,000 and N27,000; while local rice sold for N23,000.
