Rice worth over $3 billion meant for the Nigerian markets are said to be stuck in various warehouses in Benin Republic due to the federal government’s policy banning importation of the commodity through land borders and fierce customs anti-smuggling drive, THISDAY investigation has revealed.

THISDAY findings revealed that the annual routine of importing rice into the neighbouring countries from July to December to make massive sales in Nigeria during yuletide has hit a brickwall as the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) has insisted that his men tighten the borders.

Nigeria shares major borders with Benin Republic at Seme Border (Lagos), Idiroko (Ogun State), Shaki (Oyo State),Chikanda (Kwara State) and other smaller openings. Prominent among them is Seme where the highest volume of trade and largest smuggling opportunity exists because of its easier access to Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital city.

Seme border, which hitherto was a major transit point for foreign rice importation and smuggling also became a no go area for the commodity as almost daily seizures of 50kg bags of it have taken a good portion of the government warehouse .

A competent source in Benin told THISDAY that most of the warehouses where the bagged rice are kept before shipment into the country are now battling for space.

According to the source, who does not want his name in print, “some consignments of imported rice into the small West African country that had no space at the usual and popular stores were moved to makeshift storage areas and are exposed to rains, weevils and other unhygienic forms of storage.

The source said: “Popular warehouses no longer receive rice shipments as thousands of bags earlier delivered to them since July could not be evacuated into Nigeria as planned and as the usual case in previous years. Popular Cherika warehouse in Akpakpa near Cotonou with a capacity to hold 25,000 bags is fully loaded with Thailand rice with no hope of evacuating them into Nigeria except government relaxes its policy disallowing rice imports through border or customs softening their round the clock enforcement in Seme.

“Defezi warehouse close to the Cotonou Port with is filled with over 40,000 units of 50kg bags of Indian and Thailand rice. Defezi got occupied earlier due to its proximity to the port but was not evacuated as the owners could not risk entering Nigeria with it. Cica warehouse in Missebo area of the Cotonou outskirts that suffered lack of patronage in the past due to distance from Seme border and bad road presently have over 15,000 bags. Some are getting moulded, caked with their bags torn and quantity reduced while under storage in several odd arrangements endlessly awaiting shipment into Nigeria.”

THISDAY checks revealed that while hope of smuggling them into Nigeria gets dim by the day, there is a conscious efforts at attempting the smuggling of the commodity without using bags.
The unwholesome methods, our findings revealed, require pouring grains of rice into various compartments of vehicles like the booths, bonnets, inner part of the doors, under the seats and other spaces meant for spare tyres and tools.

Sources disclosed that attempts to try bringing in some hundreds of bags failed as the smuggling bags ended up inside the customs warehouse in Seme and Idiroko as seizures.

The seized rice, some of which are closed to expiring and unwholesome for human consumption have become bad and unqualified for donation to Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps as was done in the recent past.

Numbers made available by the NCS revealed that over 37,000 bags of rice have so far been seized in Seme and Idiroko between January and September 2016 with a recent clamp down on 13 vehicles at a go in the Ogun State area all laden with smuggled rice.

Nigeria Customs had in an October 2016 press statement reiterated government’s ban on rice importation through the borders. The statement signed by customs spokesman, Wale Adeniyi, reinforced its resolve to protect government’s attempt to improve local rice capacity.

According to him, ”We like to reiterate the position that importation of Rice remains banned through our Land Borders, and we have the commitment of Partner Government Agencies and Stakeholders to enforce this restriction. While this restriction is in force, Rice imports through the Ports are still allowed subject to payment of extant charges.”

HungerBAD:
Good.

$3 billion that our Local Rice market would have lost to the imported ones.

#IstandwithBuhari

mrvitalis:
3 billion dollars will cultivate, Mill, D stone and Polish over 1000000 hectares of long grain rice.. That's over 120 million bags of rice..

Seriously something is tragically wrong with our brains

HungerBAD:
Good.

$3 billion that our Local Rice market would have lost to the imported ones.

#IstandwithBuhari

Progressive01:
E no easy to be president honestly. This situation presents us with an option that has far reaching consequence on government's policy on locally made products.

Here's the scenario:

You open up the borders, allow the products in, receive duties on them earning the government some revenue, the increased supply means a drop in market price of the commodity, consumers would be happy with that but local producers would suffer losses and the policy and campaign to patronise home made products would suffer some moral setback.

So, what do we do

mrvitalis:
3 billion dollars will cultivate, Mill, D stone and Polish over 1000000 hectares of long grain rice.. That's over 120 million bags of rice..

Seriously something is wrong with our brains

priceaction:

Trust me bro, the problem is that no body want to go to farm again. Everyone want to be bankers or work in slumberger or Mobil ( even agricultural engineering and agric related graduates). And many states have rendered their youths to begger, just like ekiti.
No thanks to the government that can't declare state of emergency on agricultural research and products via mechanized farming. We seriously need mecahnized farming this country. I wonder why federal government can't partner with LG over federation to invest in specialised agricultural products that can grow well in each LG to boost crop production. Similar thing was done during ibb regime through ,was it MAMSER or DIFRII programs (dunno exact name).
The news is good if we know how to make use of it.

mrvitalis:

Bro the fools who spend money in importing this things are the people i am talking about

A Nigerian will gladly work in a farm thats pays 60k a month. .. In the uk and Europe.. the least farm workerd earn is 6 euros .per hour that's over 2k per hour and over 16k per day.. And they still produce far cheaper goods than us.. .... Bro really we have a problem

Keneking:
But where is lalasticlala now?

priceaction:

That's it, just look at how many jobs Mills like that will create with such huge amount? But greedy and quick money is playing fast one there too while our so called importers like those Lebanese and Indians with the collaborations of corrupt government agencies make it possible for them to do. And most of the rice they bring in are fake, expired rice that has been in the ban for 10s of years .just look even at many chocolate too. No single or standard chocolate factories in South West or Nigeria as a whole while they bring junks for us and even come here to repackage it in their house.
I was with a Lebanese client 3 years ago in Apapa, I know he does some dirty importation like bringing nearly expired chocolates from abroad and supply shops like shoprite and goodies and so on. I even heard he repackage some expired goods that even come through boarders .
Imagine this guy was threatening a nafdac official with hire assassin because the guy seized his goods? I was hearing his conversation on phone and I was boiling in my mind. No agency can stop him as he claimed because he is very wealthy and influence.
The country needs to stop many of these to improve our local production and empower our youths, no matter how. China did not become an industrial hub in one day or by relying on foreign goods that can be produced locally.

slimfit1:


If we have 50% of Nigerians that think like you we are ready to go place God Bless you. But let us know the product he is selling so we can avoid it please.