Grain Aggregation Centres under construction; stakeholders query rice waiver

About twenty five (25) Grain Aggregation Centre (GAC) are under construction by the federal government in fourteen states of the federation towards ensuring easy access to agricultural produce by major off takers in rice, maize, sorghum and millet for processing into various derivative just as many of the rice stakeholders have queried the rationale behind import waivers in the face of these centres. 

This GAC according to our source is targeting about fifty six centres across the nation for wider coverage towards generating a private sector driven grains cleaning centres that will mitigate the challenges of integrated millers as regards getting quality rice paddy and others for processing into standard products that will attract global market.

Also it was gathered this initiative is coming on the heels of ensuring market for the farmers and at the same time checkmating millers’ challenges of going from one farm to another before getting standard agricultural produce for processing and packaging for global market acceptability of nutritious  and nourishing food.

Speaking with the Federal Director of Grain Reserve, Engr. Olumeko who confirmed the construction of the centres added that the programme is intended to be driven by the private sector towards checkmating substandard agricultural produce that are often encountered by the integrated millers during the course of buying from farm to farm. 

He pointed that farmers will be guaranteed already made market for their produce.

Engr. Olumeko said “these centres are meant to clean up the grains and it will be private sector driven while government will continue to provide enabling policy. The farmers will take their paddy there for cleaning operation and storage at a very agreeable price that will be fixed by the National Committee on the Guarantee Minimum Price at the beginning of every year”.

Meanwhile stakeholders have condemned the waivers given to rice importers saying it is sabotage to the federal government’s rice policy where a substantial subsidy inputs’ supports have been given to farmers to increase production and which has left many of them with plenty paddy begging for market.

The stakeholders claimed that the basis for the import waivers was not sufficient since the government inputs’ support have increased paddy productions which the millers can processed into milled rice for local consumption saying the incidence of market glut that the farmers are experiencing is a function of the import which has contradicted policy of checkmating rice importation of the federal government.

Rice import waivers by the Federal Government is coming on the shortfall of 2.5 million metric tons to meet local consumptions which stakeholders have criticized as being retrogressive arguing that the support the crop value chains has been receiving for the last three years is enough to sustain local consumption rather than encouraging import to the detriment of farmers while creating jobs in other countries.

Many of the companies given the waiver have abused the numbers of allocation given to them at about 30% tariff concession according to Nigeria Custom spokesman Mr. Adeniyi who sometimes said that 26 companies given the rice waiver import have over imported the allocation given and they will be compelled to pay 70% on every excess quantity.  

Many farmers from the North have been complaining of none available markets for their rice paddy production with a confirmation with a reliable source from the federal government quarters who said they are always receiving call on where to get markets for paddy.