We need a revolution.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/195509-investigation-inside-the-massive-fraud-in-nigerias-n117billion-rice-import-quota-scheme.html?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter

First, it was petroleum subsidy scam, now it is our rice. How long will Nigerians sell their destiny for a plate of Thai rice? But, wait whose fault is it? Can they thrive if there is no market and appetite for it?

Last year I was in the UAE, stayed in Bur Dubai. I entered a Tesco Franchise store off Al Rolla crescent and picked up a 10kg bag of premium quality rice for 15Dirhams (1Dirham = NGN50). That's NGN750. This implies a 50kg would have cost about NGN3,750.
Now, this is not just about rice. I took a cab, 2015 model Hyundai Elantra to Al Mahktoum, driven by a young man named Hussein. Out of curiosity I asked him how much the car cost. He smiled and answered 55,000Dirhams with 0% interest bank loan and comprehensive 3rd party insurance. That's about NGN2,750,000. But same vehicle at Stallion Group, Nigeria is about NGN4million. So, what is it about?

This is about our greed and abysmal "long-throatedness". The desire to make colossal profit margins without regard to whose detriment is mind-buggling and infernal. So, this is not about whether Nigeria is importing or producing rice. It's just we are greedy and lazy.

All the companies listed in that scam want to make quick and huge money, whereas agribusiness takes patience and requires a long term investment mentality to thrive. The rice value chain in particular is very long. Several processes, so yes, instead of going through all that to refine the quality, they just catapult the funds out to import and then sell at ridiculous prices. But mind you they spend most of their time in such places as I mentioned above, so the price here is not their business. Go and ask Oba Otudeko how much a bag of rice is? If they have their way, a bag of rice will sell at N20,000 and a litre of fuel for N1,000.

Yes, I produce rice. But beyond that, for the sake of the economy, for the sake of our pockets for the sake of several millions of Nigerians that eat rice as just "a Sunday meal". Let's develop Nigeria's rice value chain. And your own contribution to it is by buying it and eating it. The rice the Thai family eat on their table in Bangkok is not international, it is local to them. So, let's stop the negativity attached to the word local.

It has chaff, it has stone, it is colored. Yes. But, with adequate investment, the indigenous quality will attain and can surpass foreign standard. Stone in the rice is not the farmers' fault. Rice is not planted in the air, it grows from the soil. Between harvest and bagging, rice loses over 20% of its weight in form of chaff, husk and other sediments as well as moisture. This is the terrain of capital-intensive investment, which is significantly lacking. The farmer can not be the one to plant and be the one to process at the same time. You cannot be the deceased and be the bereaved at the same time. There are people that view this nairaland everyday. There is somebody who has access to investment. Do you know that with just NGN50million, a major processor can be installed and operated in a strategic rice zone in the country that will service over 500 farmers and turn out over 300,000MT of quality rice per annum. Did I just say just? Yes, because there are people who spend that on just one or two cars, which become obsolete within a couple of months. Rice has no model, yes the varieties but there is no fashion attached to it just the appetite.

Let's wake up and stop our nation from being the global dustbin of everything. From rice, to frozen foods, cars etc. Let's make our nation great. Instead of looking for quick money invest in long term agricultural infrastructure. Every other thing may change, but we will always eat. That's the secret behind the lucrativeness of agriculture. Only that the Thai are using their "loaves of bread to pack our stew", crass exploitation of the highest order.

If 1 million Nigerians buy 1 Derica (small unit that measures 64 times in a 50kg bag) of Nigerian rice for N100 thrice a week. We will succeed in retaining at least NGN300million in the economy per month, and NGN3.6billion per annum that should have escaped as capital flight in importing rice.

Food for thought.

Regards,

Mykellio

Me and Seun go quarrel if this piece doesn't make front-page.. ...........


Lalasticlala..

@misreal.. Lol. Thanks though.

But this is not about NL front page. This is about the need for a movement of young agropreneurs. A change in mentality. Result-driven actions to build Nigeria's value chain in all crop strata. If we don't talk now, this old men will not allow us survive. They are getting national honors for destroying the economy, while we sit here and struggle for front page.

One after the other we can take a stand against this mega scam from Asia. They need our demographic mass to accumulate the kind of money they are making. Three things will happen. 1) A glut of Asian rice rice in the Nigerian markets. 2) The glut will force a downward pull on price per bag of rice 3) Nigerian rice will stand a better chance in a freer market.

@Mykellio, l can relate with your write-up because l was involved in rice farming when l was still in Nigeria and do know first-hand the prospects and constraints. The value chain from rice cultivation to processing has a huge capacity to create employment opportunities.

It is heart-rendering seeing we pay farmers in Asia to provide the rice we can conveniently produce and process if the will to build the capacity exists. There is need for the thought for the small holder farmers, how they could be assisted with low cost appropriate technologies to ease the burden of labour cost during the harvesting and threshing. There are hand-held machinery that is of low fuel consumption that eliminates the costly manual labour used for harvesting as with less than a litre of petrol per hour, one person can harvest a space of 700 metre square within an hour thus reducing cost of production.

Rendering such harvesting service to farmers is even an employment opportunity for Youths.

Mykellio:
@misreal.. Lol. Thanks though.

But this is not about NL front page. This is about the need for a movement of young agropreneurs. A change in mentality. Result-driven actions to build Nigeria's value chain in all crop strata. If we don't talk now, this old men will not allow us survive. They are getting national honors for destroying the economy, while we sit here and struggle for front page.

One after the other we can take a stand against this mega scam from Asia. They need our demographic mass to accumulate the kind of money they are making. Three things will happen. 1) A glut of Asian rice rice in the Nigerian markets. 2) The glut will force a downward pull on price per bag of rice 3) Nigerian rice will stand a better chance in a freer market.

This has to get to front-page, because it will reach more people if it does.

The rice husk generated is a huge resource as it can be used to generate electricity within the community, factories can be set up to use the husks to produce Particle Boards, Furniture etc.

I will only pay for #MadeInNigeria





Enough is Enough.

Sometimes we Nigerians are our own problems.

Hmmn.... Now This is an eye-opening write up. If only the capable Nigerians will tsp into this rather than using their money to buy bullet proof cars and 28million naira worth of champagne in the UK.

Btw,listen to my songs at http://my.notjustok.com/p/oracle/
I'M THE ORACLE

Hmmmmm...

Op UAE is an Islamic country, where the system guarantees justice, fairness and equity to all. Unlike the warped system we operate in Nigeria, which is oppressive and injust, aggravated by greed and wickedness.

This Op get sense pass PDP.

Nigeria - have a long way to freedom! Corruption, Greed and wickedness is what we see. No body is a Saint in this nation. I better face my front door!!

End time Rice

Nigerians like 2 go off key

Ishorait

Seriously I dn't understand again o! Nigeria despite the low oil price, earns more than Ghana, has more refinery than Ghana and more populous than Ghana ....but Ghana nor restrict their cards withdrawal abroad. You can get dollars on the street but not so in Nigeria

Local rice that tastes like corn. Tueh.

God bless u 4 dis op. Wat an eye opener

I need grant from the govt to continue my research on a plant that grows processed rice in pods, And my 2nd research of a plant that grows cooked rice and beans

This is getting...

time to start eating ofada rice...

You said it all. We are wicked and greedy to our unborn children. What goes around comes around, that's my advise to politicians and other rulers

Speedy Acceleration of the Youth Employment in Agriculture Program of the last Administration should be sustained and the qualified Agropreneurs empowered and monitored, this will go a long way in saving capital flight and reduce cost of food imports! But will the Change Government not say is a Scam??

ain't gonnna say a thing! but God bless ur papa n mama for taking their time to bring up like this. ennnh! so patriotic?

pmm

The way we despise our local materials
Is just appalling, every thing is imported
Even brain is imported haba
One day we go start to import olosho

I'm coming

Don't know rice chain has a big value as this... Tnks 2 d op