Mutiu Yekeen
While the European Union, China and the United States of America are developing agricultural reforms, policies and conditions upon which their production capacity will be enhanced and diversify their exportation particularly on rice and poultry products to different countries of the world, the Nigerian government has shown it readiness to ban importation of rice and some other agricultural products by 2017 so as to encourage local production and ensure food security in the country.
However, there was national uproar when the new leadership at the Nigeria Customs Service threw open boarder gates allowing unbridled importation of rice into the country. Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hammed Ali (rtd) said the decision was to increase revenue generation since the commodity was being smuggled anyway.
Since 1999, Federal Government has developed initiatives on how to improve national food security by improving production and limit the importation of seven focused commodities – rice, cocoa, wheat, cassava, poultry and fish in the country and review policy that will encourage local production of the food items among the farmers.
From the administration of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, government’s intention to limit the importation of food in the country has suffered setbacks following lobby from rice importers, capitalists and foreign influence of turning developing nations into a dumping ground for food, clothing and manufacturing produce.
Currently, the Federal Government has deemed it fit to review the import policy on staple food items. According to the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), Mr. Sonny Echono, the review would be completed in the next three years. He said government considers; “the current import policy on staple foods as “unfavourable, however, FG would ensure that Nigeria was self-sufficient in food production before the restriction of the importation of these food items”.
Interestingly, the first phase of the promotion of initiative on these commodities aimed at encouraging local production of rice, cocoa, wheat, cassava, poultry and fish for local consumption. It targets are; to ensure food security, conserve foreign reserves and generate employment for the teaming unemployed graduates in the agricultural sector of the economy.
As a member of the World Trade Organisation, trade agreement forbid nations from banning any item for trade purpose but we have the capacity to limit our imports with the use of prohibitive duties in reducing over-dependence on food importation.
The senate recently mandated the Nigeria Customer Service to find solution to the cross border smuggling of rice into the country. The fact that the rice policy waiver of the Federal Government was a deliberate attempt to encourage agricultural e in Nigeria, many farmers had took to rice farming in the country in the last five year, but the waiver policy has done more harm than good to the nation’s economy. More than N585 billion was reported to have been waived between 2011 and 2015.
Meanwhile the Nigerian Customs Service had earlier this year announced that it lost about N1.3 trillion to wavers on rice importation annually.
To be candid, farmers are cultivating rice locally in Nigeria. Government need to provide supporting machinery for rice to be refined locally. This will save the country a whooping sum of $2.6 billion spent on milled rice import per year. There is need for the country to be self-sufficient in the local production of rice, wheat, fish, poultry and other produce in order to revive our economy and reduce over-dependence on oil and gas sector.
According to former minister of commerce and industry, Charles Ugwuh, “we need to place embargo on rice import for the nation to concentrate efforts on in-country production, displace imports and save $2.6 billion spent yearly on rice imports.
He had said: “We call for a total ban
