Stakeholders Unite to fight smuggling of rice #nigeria

Rice dealers in Nigeria have declared their intention to join the federal government in the combat against smuggling, stressing that it would no longer be business as usual for those who specialise in smuggling the commodity into the country. Rising from a stakeholders meeting in Lagos, the dealers, including Rice Millers, Importers and Distributors Association of Nigeria (RiMIDAN) key rice distributors, importers and other relevant stakeholders, made it clear that smuggling of rice into Nigeria has brought untold hardship to many Nigerians. The stakeholders issued a communiqué by which they stated their resolve to stop rice smuggling from neighbouring countries, particularly Republic of Benin, into Nigeria markets. The meeting equally resolved to alert government agencies and functionaries such as the Nigeria Custom Service, Special Fraud Unit of the Nigeria Police, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, among others, on those dealing with smuggled rice so that the law would take its course. The stakeholders also resolved to ensure that in the next few days, every knotty issue about rice policy like high tariff, improved value chain, prosecuting the federal government's agricultural agenda especially in the areas of boosting food sufficiency and so on, would begin to take shape properly. It will be recalled that rice dealers under the auspices of RiMIDAN has been crying hoarse over the non-implementation of the 2013 benchmark of $190 per metric ton duty on imported rice, which in turn has resulted in the flooding of the Nigerian markets with smuggled rice from Republic of Benin. However, President of RiMIDAN, Mr. Tunji Owoeye, while explaining the reason behind the stakeholders meeting, disclosed that the federal government has assured that it would soon resolve every contentious issue in the rice business in order to boost economy and make those in the sector to survive. "We want zero-tolerance on rice smuggling. The leadership of the distributors are ready to work with us, importers can now import legally while millers and rice farmers should fully be back to business," Owoeye stated. THISDAY learnt that resolutions at the stakeholders meeting would be sent to the various bodies and relevant government agencies for action. The rice dealers agreed to continuously collaborate and work together towards sanitising the sector which they said has been taken over by unscrupulous people due to the inaction of the federal government on the agreed duty. However, the rice dealers expressed joy that government has now started listening to them and has promised some incentives for millers as well as make the business competitive by encouraging local production of quality rice. The meeting was attended by RiMIDAN officials, Rice Market Leaders from major markets in Lagos, importers, as well as representatives of enforcement agencies from Special Fraud Unit of the Police, EFCC, and the Customs. They were unanimous that increased rice smuggling could rubbish the federal government's Agricultural Agenda and therefore should not be allowed to continue. The sensitisation campaign against patronising smuggled rice would be carried out in other parts of the country especially areas where the products are being sold cheap to the detriment of legal dealers, the stakeholders equally agreed. Rice dealers provide employment for over 100,000 people including clearing agents, transporters and domestic staff. However, in the last one year, over 20 vessels have been trapped at high seas, due to non-take off of the agreed tariff regime. The dealers lamented that while Benin Republic raked in over N200 billion duty on rice in 2013 alone, over 3 million tons of parboiled rice was smuggled into Nigeria through Benin Republic, amounting to over N300 billion revenue loss to Nigerian government