Price of rice will drop to ₦6000 per bag.

Local rice farmers claims
the price of rice will drop as low as ₦6000 per bag.

According to the president of Rice Farmers Association of
Nigeria, RIFAN, Alhaji Aminu Goronyo, the price of rice is expected to drop to
as low as ₦6000 within the next six months.

Speaking with The Nation during the weekend, Goronyo said
farmers have increased the production of local rice and this will lead to
downward changes in the current price.

He claimed rice was being traded for as low as ₦10000 in
some states in north and that the increase in demand has also motivated the
farmers.

Goronyo also noted that more farmers are now taking
advantage of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s Anchor Borrowers Programme and
that his association was marshalling more farmers to partake.

“We are going to
assist the Federal Government to produce more than enough rice. It is part of
the plan to bring down the price of rice. There are several efforts that we are
making to see that in no distant time, this price of rice will come down for
Nigerians to have access to affordable milled rice.

“The strategy entails expansion of areas under rain fed
farming and irrigation, reduction of post-harvest losses through mechanisation,
improved seed production systems and market development improvement among
others,” He said.

The RIFAN president said he expects the price will continue
to drop in order to make it more affordable to Nigerians.