Nigerian rice farmers have accused middlemen and cartels of driving the sharp rise in the price of the staple.

The farmers alleged that these middlemen are hoarding and profiteering, which is why government efforts to stabilise the market have not yielded results.

Sakin Agbayewa, vice-chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, noted that the unscrupulous actors in the sector were deliberately creating artificial scarcity and exploiting Nigerians’ preference for imported rice.

He said:

“The main issue is that the rice price hike can be linked to a cartel that wants to frustrate government’s effort."

Agbayewa alleged that while the Federal Government issued waivers earlier this year to allow limited rice imports and reduce costs, some importers stockpiled rice to profit after the waiver expired.

Agbayewa added:

“Now that the importation waiver is over, the cartel is creating artificial scarcity.

“Some farmers also repack local rice in foreign bags to sell at high prices because they know Nigerians have this high taste for foreign things.”

Rice association seeks govt help Raphael Hunsa, chairman of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria in Lagos State, called on the government to engage directly with genuine local farmers to bring prices down, Vanguard reports.

Hunsa said: “The price of rice will continue to go up if the government fails to support local rice farmers. “They should invite us to a roundtable for the right policies and programmes. We know our problems, and if they ask us, we will provide solutions.”

He urged farmers to utilise government-provided inputs, such as fertilisers, to boost production instead of selling them off.

Mustafa Aliu, a dealer at Oja Oba Market in Agege, told NAN that a 50kg bag of rice now sells for N70,000 to N80,000. Temitayo Hakeem, another trader, said:

“There are bags that still sell as high as N145,000 or N150,000, depending on the consumer’s choice."

A new report from the Financial Derivatives Company (FDC) the price of a 50kg bag of long-grain rice is now sold at N87,000.