Grant license to registered rice millers to import brown rice to supplement local production – Egwuonwu tells FG

Chinedum Treasure

Managing Director of Anambra Rice and Stine Rice Mills Limited, Chief Akai Egwuonwu has given hope that the future is bright for rice production in Anambra as the State Governor, Prof Charles Soludo has continued to show keen interest in that direction.

Egwuonwu articulated factors that should be addressed for both farmers and millers to achieve maximum capacity production, stressing that State government’s sustainable role had continued to yield positive results in the sector.

He noted that rice revolution in Anambra started with the former Governor, Willie Obiano’s administration which he said Prof Soludo had sustained and added impetus to it.

“This year alone I got 120 trailer loads of rice for milling from Umumbo community within Ayamelum axis. When we started in 2007, it was difficult for us to get one trailer load in the whole of Anambra State. And some other mills around this time got some quantities. Harvesting is still ongoing.

“That will tell you the level of Governor Soludo’s contributions and commitment to rice value chain.

“The Governor is desirous to help out in any way he can to ensure that we do well in rice production in the State.

“You know if the security challenge in Umumbo had not been checked, it wouldn’t have been possible for those quantities of rice at that community to be produced. I know that the Governor was sensitive to secure those areas so that they will have no reason not to produce at maximum capacity.

“By 2025 I expect there will be up to 50 percent addition to what we have this year in rice cultivation. When the local farmers see that when they produce, they sell quickly, they will have no other option than to increase their efforts to cultivate more.

“Equally over the period, Soludo has distributed rice to civil servants, local dwellers and most citizens in Anambra. It will be hard for any family to say they have not gotten a bag of rice since the inception of Soludo’s administration. I’m quite hopeful he will do the same this Christmas period. We are hoping that there will be more rice available this Christmas season, “he said.

Chief Egwuonwu whose rice mill is located at Amichi in Nnewi South Local Government Area is rated to be the biggest of its kind in Nigeria and beyond.

According to him, the rice mill has maximum production capacity of 10,000 bags 50kg daily.

“We are in the business of rice production for consumers. What we do is processing, though we cultivate a bit. We have a very big mill.

“Unfortunately, a lot is happening in rice cultivation. The problem of herdsmen and bandits is a big challenge to rice farmers. The bandits chase farmers out of their farms and this is a serious negative effect in rice production in Anambra State. But thank God the Governor is doing a lot in the area of security.

“The activities of smugglers affect the growth of local rice producers and the federal government has a lot to do in that direction to encourage the farmers.

“We’re not producing in full capacity now because of some of these challenges. We obviously sympathize with the consumers. There isn’t much we can do at this point other than to go with market forces.

“We don’t have enough locally produced rice but bringing in foreign rice will mean killing all the local producers.

“Obviously, over the years we have been encouraged by the federal government and a lot of money has gone into setting up processing lines in Nigeria.

“Mine was set up in 2007. The federal government injected money in 2012 for building of more rice processing mills. And since then so much money has gone into rice production in Nigeria, “he submitted.

Chief Egwuonwu insisted that to allow importation of foreign rice should never be considered.

He, however, said what government should do to fill in the gap was to allow the importation of limited quantities of brown rice which he said should be restricted to local millers who would be granted licenses to that effect.

He explained that those qualified to be granted licenses should be those millers that have integrated rice milling facilities, probably those that were registered rice millers in Nigeria.

“We have heard federal government say a lot about brown rice importation. They brought out the guidelines but to this second as far as I know, none of our members has been given any license, ” he added.

He disclosed that he had even expanded his rice mills for further increase in his production capacity.

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