The birth of Africa’s largest rice mill in Imota

THE formal inauguration of Lagos Rice Mill in Imota by President Muhammadu Buhari seems to have signaled an abundance of rice supplies for the Nigerian people and by extension the African continent.

The Rice Mill, the largest in Africa and the third largest in the world, is expected to generate approximately 250,000 direct and indirect jobs for Lagosians, which in turn will make a huge contribution to the economy of the immediate community that hosts the Rice Mill, Lagos State, Nigeria and Africa in general.

The rice mill is a 2 by 16 tons per hour on an area of ​​8.5 hectares of land with an annual rice requirement of more than 240,000 tons to produce 2.5 million 50 kg bags of rice per year.

President Buhari performed the formal inauguration alongside the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Other dignitaries who were part of the groundbreaking event include: Tokunbo Abiru, a Lagos Senator, Cornelius Ojelabi, Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC) , Lagos State, Ganiyu Solomon, Chairman of the APC Presidential Campaign Committee, Lagos, Abisola Olusanya, Agriculture Commissioner, Rotimi Fashola, the Governor’s Special Advisor on Rice Initiatives, among other traditional rulers.

During the tour of the facility, Sanwo-Olu said that Eko Rice, pride of Nigeria, is the best in town.

“Mr. President, this is the result of your rice revolution. This rice is called Eko Rice, proud of Nigeria. It is now the best in town,” he said.

Governor Sanwo-Olu, while addressing people after the inauguration of the Lagos Rice Mill by President Buhari, said that Lagos is ready to support the rice revolution and food revolution in Nigeria.

“The President is very pleased to be here to inaugurate the largest rice mill in sub-Saharan Africa and one of the largest in the world, the Lagos Rice Mill in Imota.

“It is being done because of the agricultural revolution of the president who, when he took office, said that Nigerians should grow what they eat and they should eat what they grow.

“We are happy that Lagos is proof of that. With 2.8 million 50 kg sacks of rice per year, Lagos is poised to support the rice and food revolution in Nigeria.

“The Lagos Rice Mill will create nearly 250,000 direct and indirect jobs. We would like to thank the local community of Imota, Ikorodu.

“We want to thank everyone who has been patiently waiting. Mr. President is indeed delighted that you have given birth to another first in Nigeria and in Sub-Saharan Africa.”

Oba Gbolahan Lawal, the Oniru of Iru land, a former agriculture commissioner in the state, said while speaking that he was one of the happiest people at the commissioning which he vividly remembered when Eko rice started around 2011-2012, it was a 2.5 metric ton capacity.

“When we started back then I also remembered that we were able to create a lot of jobs in the rice value chain from production to milling and transportation, so for the fact that we are here today, 8.5 hectares of land will be optimal used and the number of jobs this factory will create is healthy.

He credited the federal government for taking the initiative to ban rice imports.

“I then remembered that in 2012 the story was that we spend N1 billion a day to import rice, so N 365 billion a year to import polished rice; we were the second largest importer of thai rice after the philippines but when the federal government came up with the policy of import substitution, industrialization, rice policy, which required the different individual private entities to start the rice mill, lagos was the first able to have a state-owned factory with only 2.5 tons

“So for us now to have another 32MT, 16MT in two phases in Lagos, it shows that the government of Lagos is a serious government, over 20 million people is a lot and you can look at the consumption of rice, rice is a staple food.

In his contribution, Dr. Femi Oke, President of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Lagos State and South-West Zone, praised the state government for the commendable initiative.

Okay said farmers would continue to support the mill by providing more paddy.

the president of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, Lagos State chapter, Mr. Raphael Hunsa, said the new rice mill would encourage farmers to produce more in the state.

Hunsa urged the state government to continue to provide farmers with implements to increase paddy production to feed the mill.

“This project is very beautiful, it is a joy for us as rice farmers in Lagos. I am happy that something like this is happening in Lagos,” he said.

State government officials, traditional rulers, members of AFAN, Ogbonge Women Farmers Association, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria and high school students are among the dignitaries who graced the occasion.

Meanwhile, traditional rulers in Lagos state have applauded the state government for the completion and inauguration of the rice mill.

The traditional rulers described the project as a milestone.

The traditional rulers are: traditional ruler of Imota, Oba Ajibade Agoro, Oba Kabir Shotobi, the Ayangbure of Ikorodu; Oba Ajibade Agoro, the Oniru of Iruland.

During the inauguration, Shotobi praised both the federal and state governments for placing the rice mill in Imota and pledged that the project would be community-maintained.

He said the rice mill would bring huge economic opportunities to the community and jobs to the area’s teeming youth.

According to him, the Imota rice mill will offer great opportunities, especially in terms of employment.

“I urge our young people to stop looking for white-collar jobs and focus on farming or studying agriculture to increase the country’s food chain,” he said.

Also, Imota’s traditional host, Oba Ajibade Agoro, said the project would boost the commercial and economic development of the Imota community.

He commended Sanwo-Olu for initiating and ensuring the completion of the rice mill, saying the facility would have a positive multiplier effect on the community.

“I am the happiest man on earth today because it was during my reign as the Oba of Imota that this happened.

“I have been on the throne for 30 years and I am going to celebrate with this inauguration because it is a milestone that the people of Imota received during my tenure.

“This plant will produce those factors of production that will promote commercial and economic development.

“This factory is expected to create up to 250,000 jobs, imagine the multiplier effect of such a number when added to our community with their family members,” said Agoro.

Also, Oba Lawal, the Oniru of the Iru country, praised the Lagos State Government for being the first state to have a state-owned factory and the host community for supplying the land.

He noted that the rice project first started as Eko Rice had contributed immensely to the growth of the state and provided jobs across the rice value chain from production to milling and transportation.

“I am very happy with this development. I remember 2011 to 2012 when the Eko Rice started, it had a capacity of 2.5 tons.

“We are able to create many jobs through the rice value chain.

“Today we are on eight hectares of land at full capacity and the number of jobs it will create is amazing, this is the largest in West Africa,” said Oniru.

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