According to a report released on Friday by the Food and Agricultural Organisation, a United Nations Agency, Nigeria’s rice import will drop by 3.3 per cent to 2.9 million tonnes this year.
In 2014, China, which was the world’s biggest importer of rice last year along with Nigeria each bought three million tonnes of rice from abroad.
In 2015, China would raise its import volume by 5.2 per cent to 3.2 million tonnes due to higher demand according to the United Nations Agency.
Thailand is expected to be the world’s largest rice exporter this year with shipments of 11.2 million tonnes, followed by 9.3 million tonnes from India and 6.5 million tonnes from Vietnam.
Earlier this year, President Goodluck Jonathan has said there is active transformation going in the agricultural sector.
The President was quoted as saying “The rice revolution is taking place across the country, from Kebbi, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Bauchi, Gombe, Niger, Kogi, Ogun, Ekiti, Ebonyi, Rivers, Anambra, Delta, Edo to Bayelsa State. High quality Nigerian rice is now competing favourably with imported rice in the markets.
“Our rice millers have taken advantage of these new opportunities, and the number of integrated rice mills has expanded from one at the beginning of this administration, to 24 today.”