From rice mills in Lagos and food security

It is no longer news that President Muhammadu Buhari has officially commissioned the 32 ton-per-hour Lagos Rice Mill in Imota, Ikorodu. The integrated rice mill in Imota is a 22 hectare facility and the rice mill occupies approximately 8.5 hectares and consists of a complete set of new mills, two warehouses, 16 silos with a storage capacity of 40 tons each, water treatment plant, effluent processing plant, staff quarters , administrative block, car park and firefighting facility, among others. The president was shown around the facility by the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu accompanied by the Agriculture Commissioner, Ms. Abisola Olusanya and other senior officials. Speaking at the event, he noted that the president is happy with the project, adding that the Lagos Rice Mill is part of the state government’s decision to complement the federal government’s rice revolution. According to the governor, the rice mill, the largest in Africa and the third largest in the world, will provide approximately 250,000 direct and indirect jobs for Lagosians. This, he said, will greatly contribute to the economy of the immediate community where the mill is located, the state of Lagos and the country as a whole.

He said the Imota Rice Mill is an effort by Lagos State to support the country’s rice revolution. He said the mill will create jobs and encourage sustainable growth and that the state is happy to be a part of the country’s agricultural revolutions. “It will create jobs and drive sustainable growth and we are happy to be part of the country’s agricultural revolution,” he noted. The rice mill is a 2 by 16 tons per hour and sits on an area of ​​8.5 hectares of land with an annual rice requirement of over 240,000 tons to produce 2.5 million 50 kg bags of rice per year. The integrated rice milling operation in Lagos State began following the success of the Rice for Job program, which started in 2008. The program covered all aspects of the rice value chain, including rice processing. It has certified approximately 1,000 rice farmers across the value chain.

From the beginning, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s government has given priority to Imota Rice Mill. Recall that one of Sanwo-Olu’s first tasks was a working visit to the factory, where he promised to expedite completion of the project. The governor, who visited the factories in the company of his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, the head of the agency, Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola and other top government officials, reiterated his government’s commitment to improving food security in the state to improve. Now, with its completion, the mill is able to meet the rice needs of a significant portion of the Lagos residents. To further ensure that the rice needs of Lagosians are adequately met, the government is already working with the South Western and Northern states, as well as the Rice Farmers Association (REFAN) for rice paddy acquisition. There is no doubt that the state government has demonstrated its unreserved commitment to the federal government’s policy on food production.

To this end, it is already in talks with other states, especially with countries that can make land available for rice cultivation. Consequently, some of them have offered to make available about 72,000 acres of land in their respective states. This is certainly a boost for Lagos’ renewed drive for rice cultivation. According to the 2017/2018 report of the Rice Farmers Association (REFAN), the highest body of rice farmers has the capacity to produce 10 million tons of rice. Unfortunately, only a very small part of that capacity is used optimally. It is this shortfall that the Lagos Rice Mill is expected to fill. Fortunately, the World Bank is assisting the state government in this new push to promote food security. This is done with a focus on the value chain with a view to strengthening the capacity of the rice farmers and the entire value chain. In addition to hunger and malnutrition, food insecurity also leads to a host of other problems, such as health risks, environmental degradation and high crime rates. Conversely, as food security improves, so do most facets of life. Our dependence on rice imports has been to the detriment of our local economy. Resources that could have been spent on increasing the capacity of the agri-economy were channeled into importing rice that has lost its nutritional value through years of storage. In 2016, Nigerian rice imports amounted to 2.3 million tonnes, with an average expenditure of $5 million per shipment.

Former Minister of Agriculture and current President of the African Development Bank, (ADB) Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, once revealed that in 2010 alone the country spent a whopping N635b on wheat imports, N35b on rice imports, N217b on sugar imports and another N97b on fish imports! Just imagine how much of an impact such an amount of money could have had on our country if it had been invested in improving critical infrastructure across the country. It is therefore heartwarming that Sanwo-Olu has fulfilled its solemn promise to complete the all-important Lagos Integrated Rice Mill in record time. With a growing population of over 20 million, it is wise and convenient for Lagos State to embrace food security. In addition to hunger and malnutrition, food insecurity also leads to a wide range of other problems, such as health, environmental degradation and high crime rates.

As the country’s Center of Excellence, it is gratifying that Lagos has taken inspiration from countries such as China, Thailand and Vietnam by setting up a huge rice mill. This would further increase the state’s ability to generate more revenue and thus meet more citizen needs. With the arrival of the rice factory, Sanwo-Olu has undoubtedly taken another big step in his government’s vision of ‘Greater Lagos’. Sure, a Greater Lagos is rising!

• Ogunbiyi is Deputy Director of Public Affairs, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.

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