The Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has expressed concern over the country’s annual expenditure of $480 million on importing three tonnes of rice, describing it as unsustainable.
Nonye Ayeni, NEPC’s Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, disclosed this during a one-day technical support workshop for rice farmers and processors in Lokoja, Kogi State.
Represented by Aliu Sadiq, a deputy director in the council’s policy and strategy department, Ayeni emphasized that urgent measures are being implemented to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on rice imports.
“The continuous spending of $480 million on importing rice is unacceptable,” Ayeni said.
She noted that boosting local production is critical, given rice’s status as a staple food consumed across all socio-economic classes and regions in Nigeria.
The workshop, held in Kogi State, was part of NEPC’s efforts to support sustainable rice production, processing, and value addition.
Ayeni highlighted that the choice of Kogi as the host state was strategic, as it is Nigeria’s second-largest producer of rice, contributing 1.5 million metric tonnes annually.
She urged rice farmers and processors to adopt best practices and the skills introduced at the workshop to enhance productivity.
Ayeni also linked the initiative to broader concerns about food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa, recently raised by the World Bank.
“The federal government, under the Renewed Hope Agenda, has shown commitment to achieving food sufficiency by addressing critical challenges facing farmers such as security, infrastructure, forex, and inputs,” she stated, reiterating NEPC’s support for small and medium enterprises in agriculture.
The event also featured insights from Usenide Aniekpeno, coordinator of the NEPC Kogi State Coordinating Office.
Aniekpeno described the workshop as part of Nigeria’s drive to strengthen the agricultural value chain, particularly in rice production.
He identified issues such as inefficient farming practices, inconsistent product quality, and limited adoption of modern technologies as key challenges.
Victor Omifaiye, Director-General of the Kogi Commodity Exchange and Export Promotion Agency, disclosed plans to assist farmers in accessing agricultural loans through NEXIM and the Bank of Agriculture.
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