Some members of the rice farmers associations have blamed the continuous hike in the price of the product in Nigeria on the activities of unscrupulous farmers and middlemen in the sector.
The rice farmers leaders made this known in separate interviews with Newsmen on Sunday in Lagos.
The Vice-chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Mr Sakin Agbayewa, said the consistent fluctuations in the price of rice could be linked to human manipulations in spite of government’s efforts.
“As regards the high price of rice, I think we are taking one step forward and five steps backward.
“Some few months ago, the Federal Government came out with a waiver, giving some companies a small waiver to import rice into the country, in order to crush the price. And while that was on, did they mobilise the local farmers? That is where the issue lies.
“Although few farmers were empowered by the Federal Government with a 75 per cent reduction on the cost of production, others were given fertilisers for free.
“Now, the question is this, those local farmers who were empowered, did they really cultivate anything?
“The main issue is that the rice price hike can be linked to a cartel that wants to frustrate government’s effort,” Agbayewa said.
READ ALSO:Stakeholders Seek Government Support for Ebonyi Women Rice Farmers
According to him, while the waiver was on, they actually imported rice into the country and the price came down, but while they were importing, they were also warehousing.
“Now that the importation waiver is over, the cartel is creating artificial scarcity.
“Also, some of the farmers who cultivate local rice, it’s not that we do not produce enough, but some farmers only capitalise on the shortage in the system.
“And with the shortage, they are now repacking local rice in foreign bags for selfish reasons. They do this to sell at high cost because they know Nigerians have this high taste for foreign things.
“There is a high level of insincerity and dishonesty among our people. Some unscrupulous farmers, middlemen and even retailers can be blamed for the current hike,” he said.
On his part, the Chairman of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Lagos State chapter, Mr Raphael Hunsa, called on the government to relate with the real farmers for the price of rice to drop.
“The price of rice will continue to go up if the government fails to support local rice farmers.
“The price will go higher and higher because cultivation of local rice is quite different from importation rice.
“And what can we do to resolve that issue consistent price hike in rice is to support the rice farmers in the right way.
“Though government is trying and we don’t dispute that, but they should let their interventions get to the right hands.
“They should invite local rice farmers to a roundtable for formulation of the right policies and programmes for the sector.
“So, we know our problem, they should ask us and we will tender our problem. It is now left for the government to resolve the problem through the normal channel. And with that the price of rice will come down,” Hunsa said.
He also urged local rice farmers not to sell off the interventions provided by the government but should utilise them for the growth of the sector.