Dear friends,

One of Nigeria's neighbouring countries, Benin Republic, has an estimated current population of 12.1 million (https://countrymeters.info/en/Benin), which is far less than Lagos state's.

Its tiny population notwithstanding, Benin is currently the world's 6th largest importer of rice! How come? Guess where all that rice was going?

If you guessed Nigeria, you get full marks. Most of it was being SMUGGLED into Nigeria! Should our neighbour's quest for survival lead to the destruction of our economy and agriculture?

See below the 10 Largest Rice Importers In The World (SOURCE: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-largest-rice-importers-in-the-world.html)

Rank Country Rice Imported (US$ '000)
1st China 1,599,660
2nd Iran 1,628,522
3rd Saudi Arabia 1,314,680
4th Indonesia 1,037,128
5th United States 966,569
6th Benin 936,122
7th Philippines 736,649
8th United Arab Emirates 700,209
9th Cote d'Ivoire 688,422
10th Iraq 676,422