Rice millers in Kano State have attributed the high cost of locally-produced rice to the increasing cost of production of the commodity in the country.
Spokesperson, Medium and Small Scale Rice Millers Association in the state, Liman Muhammed, said this during a visit to some rice mills in Kano on Wednesday.
The price of 50kg locally-produced rice ranges between N20,000 and N22,000 while that of imported rice is between N12,000 and N15,000.
“For locally-produced rice, the cost of production is high. Our people are used to the imported rice but with government’s intervention, we are seeing good quality rice.
“Most imported rice have spent more than 10 years in the storage and are not good enough but the local rice has more nutritional value.
“The number of people consuming local rice is increasing and if everybody along the rice value chain is empowered, the cost of production will reduce,’’ he said.
He commended the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Anchor Borrowers’ Programme, noting that it had empowered rice farmers and millers across the country.
Muhammed called on government at all levels to provide necessary inputs to rice farmers to boost production in the country.