Lagos State Government has begun training rice millers and regulatory agencies on fortified rice production as the global fortified rice market is projected to reach $38.4 billion by 2035, amid rising demand for nutritious staple foods.

The market forecast by Future Market Insights puts the global fortified rice market at $22.5 billion in 2025 and projects it to reach $38.4 billion by 2035, representing a compound annual growth rate of 5.5 per cent.

The three-day training, held in Lagos, is aimed at positioning the state’s rice industry to capture a share of the expanding market while improving the nutritional quality of rice consumed in Nigeria.

The opportunity is significant given Nigeria’s huge rice consumption. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service, Nigeria’s rice consumption is forecast at 8.6 million metric tonnes in the 2025/26 marketing year, up five per cent from 8.2 million tonnes projected for the previous marketing year.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture and Food Systems, Dr. Oluwarotimi Fashola, said the country’s large rice consumption provided a significant opportunity for fortification.

“Rice is the singular food product that best reaches everybody, from the youngest to the oldest,” Fashola said.

He said fortification could help deliver essential micronutrients, particularly to children and young people, through a widely consumed staple.

“Rice fortification is still in its infancy. There are only about six rice mills that have the capacity for fortification across Nigeria,” he said.

Fashola said expanding capacity was necessary to increase access and consumer awareness, adding, “We need to promote it. We need to encourage its consumption and its knowledge.”

Lagos State has introduced Eko Fortified Rice alongside Eko Rice Farm Fresh and Eko Rice Classic. The fortified product contains essential micronutrients, including iron, folic acid and vitamin B12. The state launched its rice fortification plant and Fortified Eko Rice at the Lagos State Rice Mill in Imota, Ikorodu, in November 2025. The state said the facility was among the few rice mills in Nigeria with the capacity to fortify rice with essential micronutrients.

Fashola said expanding capacity was necessary to increase access and consumer awareness, adding, “We need to promote it. We need to encourage its consumption and its knowledge.”

Lagos State has introduced Eko Fortified Rice alongside Eko Rice Farm Fresh and Eko Rice Classic. The fortified product contains essential micronutrients, including iron, folic acid and vitamin B12. The state launched its rice fortification plant and Fortified Eko Rice at the Lagos State Rice Mill in Imota, Ikorodu, in November 2025. The state said the facility was among the few rice mills in Nigeria with the capacity to fortify rice with essential micronutrients.

Fashola said the state would continue to work with millers, regulators and development partners to expand the adoption of fortified rice and strengthen the rice value chain.

A Deputy Director and Head of the Food and Agriculture Group, Standards Development Department, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Mrs. Nene Obianwu, said standards would be critical to maintaining product quality and consumer confidence.

“The code of practice was brought into play to guide the manufacturer into the production of a high-grade product,” she said.

Obianwu added that standards would ensure consistency among products from different mills. “If there is no standard, somebody will produce it and it will not be the same,” she said.

She added that standards would ensure that a product manufactured in one factory would meet the same requirements as a similar product produced elsewhere.

"The standard helps you to get it right. It helps you maintain consistency so that you do not deteriorate," she said.

The importance of standards and regulatory compliance in rice fortification has also been emphasised in previous training involving SON and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). TechnoServe said rice millers are being supported to produce fortified rice in line with national regulatory requirements.

The Project Manager, Promoting Rice Fortification in Nigeria (PRIFN), TechnoServe, Seun Elere, said rice fortification had been driven by increasing concern over anaemia and micronutrient deficiencies, as well as government-led food distribution, nutrition and social-protection programmes.

He urged participants at the training to apply the knowledge gained to their operations, improve quality control and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.

TechnoServe, in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP), is implementing the PRiFN project to increase the adoption of rice fortification by rice millers and processors and promote consumption of fortified rice in Nigeria.

The project supports rice mills with equipment, technical assistance and fortification inputs and is designed to contribute to improved nutrition, particularly among vulnerable populations.