By Mustapha Sumaila
Abuja – The Rice Processors Association of Nigeria (RPAN) says members have the capacity to meet the Nigeria’s demand for rice during and beyond the Yuletide.
The Chairman of RPAN, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, gave the assurance on Tuesday in Abuja when he spoke with journalists.
According to him, the combined capacity of integrated mills produced about 150,000 truck load of rice on a daily basis as well as 1.8 million metric tonnes annually.
Abubakar said the figure was different from millions of metric tonnes produced annually by small scale millers and local millers.
He said that speculations that there would be scarcity of rice during this Christmas period should be disregarded, adding that there would be enough supply of rice in the country.
“I can assure Nigerians that they will find rice everywhere and throughout this festive period,” he said.
He also noted that the positive impact of the Federal Government’s border closure on rice millers was enormous.
Abubakar said that Nigeria relied on rice importation with only one rice mill in operation about 10 years ago, but today the country could boast of 40 integrated milling machines of world standard.
He disclosed that before the border closure, members of the association had been complaining that they could not sell the product in their warehouses but had since exhausted their stock.
Abubakar said that some RPAN members, who closed their factories because of lack of patronage, were now back in business because of border closure.
The chairman said that he was at the Central Bank of Nigeria’s headquarters on behalf of his members for possible grants for expansion of their rice business.
(NAN)
