BETWEEN INCREASING IN THE COST OF IMPORTED RICE AND PATRIOTISM: WHAT IS THE RATIONAL OF BANNING THE IMPORTATION OF RICE THROUGH OUR LANDS BORDERS?
BETWEEN INCREASING IN THE COST OF IMPORTED RICE AND PATRIOTISM: WHAT IS THE RATIONAL OF BANNING THE IMPORTATION OF RICE THROUGH OUR LANDS BORDERS?
By:
Nurudeen Dauda
June 17, 2016
nurudeendauda24@gmail.com
nurudeendauda24@yahoo.com
nurudeendauda.blogspot.com
Nigerians consume averagely 6 million tones of rice yearly, but the country produces less than one-third of what its needs despite the fact that about 19 states out of the 36 states of the federation can grow rice at commercial quantity. More so, 13 states out of the 19 rice producing states can grow rice twice in a year meaning that they have the capacity to grow rice through both “Dry” and “Rainy” seasons farming. In America it is only about 7 states out the 50 states that grow rice, but they feed a population of over 300million people and export the rest. In India only about its 10 states out of its 30 states that grow rice, but they feed a population of over 1.2billion people and export. China’s population is over 1.4billion people but do not import rice.
The bulk of our rice is imported from Thailand, India, China and Brazil thereby encouraging their farmers, rice milling companies, creating millions of employment to them and paying trillions of customs duties to their countries for importation. Back home, nobody patronizes the “local rice” thereby killing the local farmers and the million of possible jobs that might be created by setting up of rice milling companies at home. If you don’t buy local rice how can the local rice farmer improve his quality?
Every country except, of course, land-lock countries has three (3) ways of entry, namely(1) land borders,(2) Waterways, and (3) Airways. Rice importation is only ban through the land borders because of: (1) Security, (2) Health, (3) Stimulation of local production, (4) making all government revenues accountable and controllable, and (5) Checking Drugs importation among others. Importers are still allowed to import rice through Waterways etc. There is no ban whatsoever on rice importation through waterways!
ON SECURITY REASON: Nigeria had suffered ( or is still suffering) years of internal security challenges due to proliferation of “small” and “light” “weapons” which are easily brought into the country through the land borders disguising as legitimate goods importers .Former Comptroller General of the Nigerian immigration service,(NIS), David Parradang while addressing the National Political Reform Conference Committee on Immigration said: “though the country has only 84 approved land border control posts, designated in the 1980s after the bloody Maitatsine riots, there are more than 1,400 illegal entry and exit points to Nigeria’s vast borders. The number of illegal routes is 100 times more than the approved routes” (The Nation Friday, August 28, 2015, P.4).
Former Minister of Interior, Mr Abba Moro, said: “…over 1,499 illegal and 84 legal points have been officially identified as entry routes into the country. He was inadvertently acknowledging that the porous nature of the border permits illicit trans-national arms trafficking, among other national security headaches” (The Nation Friday, August 28, 2015, P.4).
Investigations have shown that Nigeria has a land borders of well over 4,000 square kilometers, running from Malavile, north of the Republic of Benin, stretching through Kebbi, Sokoto, Katsina, Jigawa, Yobe and Borno states and then to Cameroon, up till Mfon (Mfum)in Cross River State, bordering Cameroon……(The Nation Friday, August 28, 2015,P.4).
ON HEALTH REASON: NAFDAC officials cannot go round our long distance as well as porous land borders in order to ensure all goods and services imported are good for the health of Nigerians. There were allegations of importations of expired or substandard goods from China, India, Thailand and Brazil in order to maximize profit.
ON STIMULATION OF LOCAL PRODUCTION: If the government continues to allow “cheap imported rice” to come to Nigeria there will never be a time that the country’s rice production will be developed. Nigerians will always shun local rice and go for cheap foreign rice. If we allow our local rice farming to be developed it will create a lot of jobs to our youths.
ON MAKING ALL GOVERNMENT REVENUES ACCOUNTABLE AND CONTROLLABLE: The government has more control through the waterways; there is technology to measure goods and services coming through waterways unlike the land borders which is beyond control. There are NAFDAC, SON, and NDLEA officials at the port. Importers will pay the government what it is supposed to get as customs duty.
ON CHECKING DRUGS IMPORTATION AMONG OTHERS: Harmful drugs are easily imported through the land borders with some disguising as legitimate importers. At the airport or sea port there are security gadgets to trace those things more than in the land borders.
However, the increase in the price of rice is due to “Dollar crisis” not banning of rice through land borders. CBN was given “Dollars” to Commercial banks and Bureau De Change at “cheap rate” before when they had a lot of “Dollars” then and they later sold it to businessmen/importers. In June, 2014 when CBN sold a barrel of crude they got $115, but in January 2016 when the sold crude they got $27. That showed $88 lost per barrel, therefore, as a result of that situation the CBN lacked the “capacity” to give Banks and Bureau De Change enough “Dollars”, because they don’t produce the “Dollars” but they get the “Dollars” after selling crude oil whose price has fallen. The CBN completely stopped giving “cheap Dollars” to Bureau De Change because they don’t have enough. The Bureau de Change had to go and source for” Expensive Dollars” and sell to importers at N380 to $1 which the importers would later use to import goods and services and sell.
We have a solution at hand president Buhari has on Noverber, 2015 launched “Dry” reason rice farming In Kebbi State through the support of the CBN’s Anchor borrowers’ programme where farmers will be getting “cheap credit facility” to farm. The rice has been growing steadily when the CBN governor, Minister of agriculture and the Kebbi state governor visited the farm in May, 2016.The governor of Lagos state had visited Kebbi states some 2 weeks back and signed an MOU to buy and mill the rice.
Banning the importation of rice throught land borders is a patriotic decision not wickedness. If we are patient we will benefit! It will not take us years, but the patience might just be for one farming reason or two and the benefit is endless. May God bless Nigeria!