The Customs Area Controller, Oyo/Osun Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adamu Abdulkadir, has said the command generated revenue of over N15 billion in the first quarter of 2021 after intercepting contraband items including rice, cannabis, petrol, used clothing, among others.

Abdulkadir, disclosed this while briefing journalists on the activities of the command in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.

According to him, “The figure is cumulative of import duty from bonded terminals, excise duty from factories under the excise net, auction fees and all other ancillary charges into both federation and non-federation accounts.

“From 1st February 2021 to 30th April 2021, the command generated N15,890,489,479.26 (fifteen billion, eight hundred and ninety million, four hundred and eighty-nine thousand, four hundred and seventy-nine naira, twenty-six kobo).”

The Customs boss further added that the command also seized over 3,311 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 487 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), 221 cartons of imported dry fish, nine sacks of imported dry fish, nine sacks of Cannabis Sativa, and six bales of used shoes.

Other seized items include 10 litres gallons of vegetable oil, 572 (2.5 litres) gallons of vegetable oil, 21 bales of second-hand clothing, and one used DAF truck with the duty paid value of N134million.

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The Comptroller of Customs in Adamawa and Taraba States Command, Kamardeen Olumoh, disclosed this when he led Journalists to the scene of the crime at a warehouse in Yola, the Adamawa State capital.

The suspects were found with 900 bags of rice with duty paid value of N14.5 million.

Olumoh added that operatives of the command busted the warehouse in conjunction with others from the Federal Operation Units and Strike Force, as part of efforts towards sustaining the fight against smuggling in the country.

He further revealed that 15 people, including the manager and labourers at the warehouse, were rounded up by the security operatives while carrying out their nefarious act.

The comptroller, thereafter proceeded with the reporters to the Customs Headquarters in Yola where it has seized a truckload of grains intercepted by operatives along the Mubi-Yola Road.

He said investigation revealed that the truck was also carrying foreign rice re-bagged as local rice concealed under bags of beans with a duty paid value of N10.3 million.

Three suspects were also arrested in the process and all the arrested suspects would be prosecuted, Olumoh added.

While the Nigerian Government has since closed its borders with neighbouring countries, the comptroller described the activities of smugglers as sabotage.

He, however, warned smugglers that Adamawa and Taraba States remain no go areas for them as the Command would soon embark on raiding markets in search of smuggled foreign rice.

Olumoh also appealed to market heads to caution their members against the sale of foreign rice as a way of supporting local farmers who have the capacity of feeding the nation.

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In communities like Zabarmari and Gongulong located in the Jere Bowl, farmers plant rice on very large scales twice a year – during both rainy and dry seasons. While rice cultivation thrives, villagers, especially women, earned a living along the rice production value chain, working as parboilers, millers and marketers. However, the competitive advantage of rural actors in the value chain is attenuated by challenges, such as the absence of mechanization, poor knowledge of modern rice processing and packaging methods, and limited access to markets. The situation was further worsened by a decade-long regional armed conflict, which has dislodged farmers from their communities and worsened food security conditions. “Even before the crisis, most people who come to buy rice paddy did not let us parboil for them. The crisis has made business harder and patronage poor”, said 50-year-old Falmata Mustapha, a rice processor from Gongulong.

Old but not gold

“Wufatu is the only method of processing rice that we know”, she said. An age-long local technique of processing rice paddy before milling, wufatu is a common practice among rural rice processors in Jere. Rice paddy is boiled for 24 hours, sun-dried for three days and milled to remove the bran layer and husk.

Wufatu is a cumbersome and resource-consuming process. Falmata shared that she uses at least 200 litres of water and about NGN 1 000 (USD 3) worth of firewood to process 50 kg of rice, making the process environmentally unsustainable and expensive. Wufatu also subjects women to health hazards as they constantly monitor the boiling paddy, exposing them to firewood smoke. “If I process a lot of rice, I usually have to treat cough”, she explains, stating she does not know if she has health issues as a result of over-exposure to smoke and the absence of functional health centres where she can be examined.

Rice processed in this way is considered substandard in markets, particularly outside Jere, where consumers have other options. The rice paddy is not washed before boiling and residue from pesticides and stones can remain. Boiling the paddy for 24 hours also makes the end product less nutritious, tasteless and with an unpleasant smell.

A sustainable rice parboiling method

“The new method is very different. I am amazed because it makes rice parboiling easy”, Falmata said. In the method shared by FAO during a training for 80 women and 20 men from Gongulong and Zabarmari in May 2019, rice paddy is washed three times after harvest, soaked in lukewarm water for 18 hours under room temperature and steamed for 30 minutes.

The technique, which is locally adaptable in rural areas, requires less resources, time and it is prepared using locally available iron pots with false bottoms. It also keeps the rice naturally tasty and preserves the nutrients. To process 50 kg of rice, the new method helps beneficiaries save up to 72 hours of manpower, about 90 percent savings in cost of firewood and 95 percent in water usage (10 litres). This makes the method more environmentally sustainable than the local method.

“I will attract customers with low prices now that cost of production is lower.” Falmata is convinced that the new method will increase her profit margin. She and other members of her cooperative group plan to ‘dominate’ the market with the new rice they produce by initially selling at a lower price point. FAO also provided the beneficiaries with the required kits to practice the new method.

Strengthening the value chain

Usually, Falmata and her colleagues could only mill their rice in Zabarmari, where milling is done using old machines with limited capacity. Rice produced by these machines, reports say, is not entirely whole, often broken and still containing stones and other particles. To further strengthen rice production value chain in the area, FAO provided a 300 kg per hour capacity rice miller and a power generator to each of Gongulong and Zabarmari communities. The machines are modern – they mill, destone and polish the rice.

Another two groups of five youths were selected in an own-operate approach to run the milling machines in each community. They will provide the services at a cost to rice parboilers like Falmata. FAO’s support to value chains in Borno will be extended to other LGAs, considering historically valued crops in each LGA. To promote community ownership and asset protection, all beneficiaries were selected in collaboration with community leaders.

Building resilience

“Efficient agriculture value chains system – enabling rural dwellers to be actors beyond farms – is a catalyst for resilience building in rural areas”, said Suffyan Koroma, FAO Representative in Nigeria. In Borno, the capacity of conflict-affected populations to restart their livelihoods and withstand future shocks is enhanced if they are empowered to play profitable roles in agriculture value chains. As the efforts of the Government of Nigeria to restore calm across the region goes on, FAO’s objective is to support vulnerable smallholders for self-reliance. FAO is implementing this assistance as part of a European Union Trust Fund (EUTF) support targeting smallholders and agro-preneurs in Borno with capacity development programmes, start-up kits and access to finance opportunities.

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“Japanese technology can play a key role in innovation which is key to agriculture,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told delegates.

Discussions at the Symposium focused on Africa’s youth bulge, unemployment rates, agricultural innovations and technologies, solutions and job creation opportunities in the agricultural sector.

“We’ve always believed in the agriculture potential of Africa,” said Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman of the Nippon foundation. “We are paying more attention to income-generating activities. We want to help shift the mindset of small-holder farmers from producing-to-eat to producing-to-sell. We are hopeful that Africa’s youth can take agriculture to a new era, and that they can see a career path in agriculture,” he added.

In a keynote address, African Development Bank Group President, Akinwumi Adesina, called for urgent and concerted efforts to “end hunger”.

“In spite of all the gains made in agriculture. We are not winning the global war against hunger. We must all arise collectively and end global hunger. To do that, we must end hunger in Africa. Hunger diminishes our humanity,” Adesina urged.

According to the FAO’s 2019 State of Food and Security, the number of hungry people globally stands at a disconcerting 821 million. Africa alone accounts for 31% of the global number of hungry people – 251 million people.

Commending the Sasakawa Association’s late founder, Ryochi Sasakawa, for his tireless efforts in tackling hunger, Adesina said: “Passion, dedication and commitment to the development of agriculture and the pursuit of food security in our world has been the hallmark of your work.”

Between 1986 and 2003, Sasakawa Association in Africa, operated in a total of 15 countries including – Ghana, Sudan, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo, Mali, Guinea, Zambia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi and Mozambique.

Harnessing the potential of new technologies

Adesina expressed confidence in the ability of technology to deliver substantial benefits in agriculture. To accelerate Africa’s agricultural growth, the African Development Bank has launched the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) to deliver new technologies to millions of farmers. ‘TAAT has become a game changer, and is already delivering impressive results, Adesina said.

Working with 30 private seed companies, the TAAT maize compact produced over 27,000 tons of seeds of water efficient maize that was planted by 1.6 million farmers.

Tackling climate change: a top priority

Hiroyuki Takahashi, founder of Pocket Marche, a platform that connects Japanese farmers and producers with consumers, shared insights and lessons learnt from Japan’s experiences, historic cycles of climate disasters and the country’s rebound.

“The power to choose what we eat is the power to stop the climate crisis and bring sustainable happiness to a world with limited resources,” Takahashi said.

It is estimated that Africa will heat up 1.5 times faster than the global average and require $7-15 billion a year for adaptation alone. Limiting the impacts of climate change is expected to become a top priority for Africa.

“Africa has been short changed by climate change. But, it should not be short changed by climate finance,” Adesina said in his concluding remarks.

“Let’s be better asset managers for nature. For while we must eat today, so must future generations coming after us. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that we do not leave empty plates on the table for generations to come,” Adesina concluded.

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According to the  report,  the average price of one kilogramme of tomatoes reduced from N317.67 recorded in June 2018 to N226.07 in June 2019, representing a 28.84 per cent decrease.

It added that the price of one kilogramme of tomatoes reduced from N249.52 recorded in May 2019 to N226.07 in June, also representing a 9.40 per cent reduction.

NBS,  in its report, also revealed that the average cost of one kilogramme of rice (imported high quality sold loose) decreased from N373.47 in June 2018 to N352.82 in June 2019.

The price of one kilogramme of rice, according to it, reduced from N361.39 recorded in May 2019 to N352.82 in June 2019, representing a 2.37 per cent decrease.

The bureau explained that fieldwork was done solely by more than 700 NBS staff in all states across the country,

It added that the fieldwork was supported by supervisors who were monitored by internal and external observers.

NBS hinted  that the prices were collected across all the 774 local government areas, as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) from over 10,000 respondents and locations, stressing that they reflect actual prices households said they actually bought the items.

It said the average of all the prices was reported for each state, adding that the average for the country was the average for the state.

“Selected food price watch data for June 2019 reflected that the average price of 1 dozen of Agric eggs medium size decreased year-on-year by -8.23% and increased month-on-month by 6.55% to N495.32 in June 2019 from N464.87 in May 2019, while the average price of piece of Agric eggs medium size (price of one) decreased year-on-year by -5.01% and month-on-month by -8.20% to N39.30 in June 2019 from N42.82 in May 2019.

“The average price of 1kg of tomato decreased year-on-year by -28.84% and month-on-month by -9.40% to N226.07 in June 2019 from N249.52 in May 2019.

“The average price of 1kg of rice (imported high quality sold loose) decreased year-on-year by -5.53% and month-on-month by -2.37% to N352.82 in June 2019 from N361.39 in May 2019.

“Similarly, the average price of 1kg of yam tuber decreased year-on-year by -36.27% and month-on-month by -15.68% to N182.15 in June 2019 from N216.03 in May 2019″, the report reads.

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Also, the command hinted that it has seized one thousand, seven hundred and fifty three (1, 753) 50kg bags of imported foreign rice between July and October this year.

Its spokesperson in charge of Niger/Kwara/Kogi Command, Mr. Benjamin Lomba, made disclosed this through a statement made available to newsmen on Thursday.

In the statement, Lomba said a total of fifteen seizures were made between July and September this year.

The statement further reads in part, “the Niger/Kwara/Kogi Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service within the first eighteen (18) days in the month of October has made a total seizure of five hundred and fourteen (514) 50kg bags of imported foreign rice with a duty paid value of eight million, seven hundred and fifty-one thousand, six hundred naira (N8,751,600.00).

“While a total of fifteen (15) seizures with the duty paid value of one hundred and two million, two hundred and seventy thousand, seventy-two naira (N102,270,072.00) only from the month of July to September (third quarter) 2018 were made”.

He stressed that the command in the third quarter of the year, seized no fewer than one hundred and eighty nine thousand (189,000) pieces of ammunition.

“Some of the strategic seizures of the third quarter of the year include:

“One hundred and Eighty Nine thousand (189,000) pieces of ammunition with a duty paid value of sixty three million, five hundred and four thousand naira (N63,504,000.00) only.

“One thousand, two hundred and thirty nine (1239) 50kg bags of rice with duty paid value of twenty two million, three hundred and fifty one thousand, four naira (N22,351,400.00).

“A total of Twelve (12) fairly used assorted vehicles were arrested with a duty paid value of Fourteen million, Eight hundred and Sixty thousand, Four hundred and Thirty Six naira (N14,860,436.00).

“Other items such as vegetable oil, textile fabrics, footwear etc with duty paid value of One million, Five hundred and Fifty Four thousand, Two hundred and Thirty Six naira (N1,554,236.00).

“The Command also generated a total of Seven Hundred and Twenty-Five million, Five hundred and Five Thousand, Eighty-Eight naira, Seventy-Nine kobo (N725,505,088.79) in the third quarter of the year 2018. This when compared to a revenue figure of Five hundred and thirty-Four million, One hundred and Fifteen thousand, Twelve naira, Eighty kobo (N534,115,012.80) made within the same period in 2017 shows an increase of One hundred and Ninety-One million, Three hundred and Ninety thousand, Seventy-Six naira (N191,390,076.00) in the revenue generated.

“The Command looks forward to unprecedented performance in this last quarter of the year by re-strategizing, applying various diversifications in intelligence gathering and utilization, application of diplomacy in anti-smuggling especially in volatile border areas etc.

“This will enable the command to consistently build on both revenue and anti-smuggling feats”, Lomba added.

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Shehu disclosed this on Tuesday in Birnin Kebbi

According to him, “Kebbi State produces 3.6 million tonnes of rice out of the nation’s food requirement of 5.7 million tonnes annually.

‘‘That is what made the state a leading producer of rice in the country”.

Shehu further hinted that the feat was made possible through the efforts of over 70 per cent of youths and women, who benefited from the rice value chain programme of the state government.

Oyo Commissioner Charges Youths On Innovative Ideas to Foster National Development

‘‘Over 70 per cent people, especially youths and women, gained employment in various rice value chains in the state, and they made the rice production a dream come true and realistic,’’ he added.

The permanent secretary stressed that rice production had tremendously improved the status of the farmers and raised the living standard of small-scale farmers.

Shehu continued, ” Our farmers are now out of poverty level to richness because, in Kebbi rice production is now a business not subsistence issue”.

He lauded the efforts of President Mohammadu Buhari and Gov. Atiku Bagudu in ensuring the revival of agriculture through various intervention programmes to farmers in the state.

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“Transforming cassava on the African continent would help African nations to cut imports and redirect about $1.2bn into African domestic economies,” the Director for Agriculture at AfDB, Dr Martin Fregene said at the fourth International conference on cassava, being organized by the Global Cassava Partnerships for the 21^st Century, GCP21, in Cotonou, Republic of Benin on Monday.

The cassava conference is being attended by more than 450 local and international partners in the cassava sector, coming from research and development organizations, government, farming community, and the private sector.

The bank’s investment in cassava comes at a time when African governments are scaling up efforts to end food imports and create wealth.

Dr Fregene said cassava was a strategic crop for Africa’s food security and wealth creation for youth, and women, adding that “another dimension to the importance of cassava is in nutrition where cassava can enhance the nutrition of children directly or as feed for poultry and other livestock.”

With the largest volume of cassava coming from Africa, cassava supports more than 350 million people in Africa.

Africa needs to more than double cassava production to feed herself by 2050

The Minister of Agriculture for the Republic of Benin, Dr Gaston Dossouhoui said cassava remained the cheapest staple consumed by Africans, adding that “addressing the constraints of cassava production in Africa will have a positive impact on African farmers.”

He lauded the President of the African Development Bank, Dr Akin Adesina for his commitment of investing in agriculture and cassava, in particular.

The minister also commended the GCP21 for organizing the fourth International Conference on cassava, emphasizing that it would contribute to knowledge sharing that would help in removing the bottlenecks in the cassava sector.

Dr Kenton Dashiell, Deputy Director General for Partnerships for Delivery at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), said unlocking the potential of cassava required partnerships and close collaboration of partners to address the constraints facing cassava.

Dr Dashiell commended GCP21 for filling the gaps in cassava R&D by organizing a series of conferences with experts sharing knowledge on innovations in cassava.

This year’s conference is supported by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), National Institute of Agricultural Research of Benin (INRAB), Faculte des Sciences Agronomique – Universite Abomey-Calavi (FAS-AUC), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research (CORAF/WECARD), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Bananas (RTB), International Center for Agricultural Development (CIRAD), the Institute for Research & Development (IRD), French Embassy in Benin, French Institute, NIRSAL, Flour Mills of Nigeria, Cibus, China’s TAGRM, Inqaba Biotec, PRASAC, Interteck, Building an Economically Sustainable Integrated Cassava Seed System (BASICS), Sino-Food Machinery, OC, NextGen Cassava project, and CTA.

Founded in 2003, GCP21 is a not-for-profit international alliance of 45 organizations and coordinated by Claude Fauquet and Joe Tohme of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). It aims to fill gaps in cassava research and development to unlock the potential of cassava for food security and wealth creation for poor farmers.

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Addressing newsmen in Lokoja on Monday, the Director General on Media and Publicity to the Governor of Kogi State, Kingsley Fanwo said the State is emerging the number one agricultural state in the federation.

According to him, the State is “poised to strengthen her lead in cashew production as well as take over the leading role in cassava and rice production”.

He said, “Kogi State had declared a state of emergency in the agricultural sector long before the unstable revenue generation in the state. The visionary administration of Alh Yahaya Bello has placed agriculture on the front burners of its economic prosperity plan known as the New Direction Agenda.

“A massive revolution is going on across the state in the area of rice production. Kampe Omi Dam Project is breathing down on the leading rice producers in the country. Our rice mill is near completion and the nation will be shocked by the magnitude of work put in place to ensure rice sufficiency in Nigeria. We are also working on the Ibaji Rice Farm which has the potential of causing a revolution in the nation’s rice production.

“We attach great importance to the value chain and the multiplier effect agriculture can have on the economy of our dear state. In 2023, we want Kogi to become the food capital of Nigeria and this administration is working towards that”.

Fanwo said the State Government will continue to welcome genuine investors in the agricultural sector in order to create jobs for the teeming youth in the state.

“We appreciate the torrent of awards given to Governor Yahaya Bello for hacking insecurity to the ground with the support of the security agencies in the state. But he is also of the opinion that insecurity will never be defeated without food and jobs. Agriculture can give us the two.

“What we are building at Omi Dam is capable of sparking mass resignation from the civil service as our people are seeing a window of opportunity to prosperity through agriculture”.

He called on the labour leaders in the state to explore the “humble and considerate nature of the Governor to engage in dialogue as a peaceful means of crisis resolution”, saying the threat of strike is fast becoming “old fashioned and fascist”.

“I urge Labour, not only in Kogi State but across the nation to embrace dialogue as a peaceful means of crisis resolution rather than heightening temperatures with threats of strike. Every man hour loss is a blow to the economy. No party benefits from strike.

“We thank those civil servants who have continued to go to work and urge those not going to work to resume in the interest of their career, the people of Kogi State and future of our dear state. Those who have been using the clock-in-clock-out devices will surely be paid their salaries”.

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According to them, going by the bumper wet season harvest by rice farmers, the current market price of rice, which is about N18,000 per 50kg bag, will fall to between N6,000 and N7,000.

Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting between rice farmers/processors and the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, at the ministry’s headquarters, in Abuja, the National President, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Aminu Goronyo, told newsmen that operators had resolved to currently reduce price of rice to N13,000 per 50kg, but stressed that the price would further drop to N6,000 in a few months.

He said, “This is just the beginning, the actual price of rice will come down because we are expecting a bumper harvest this year. We have sat down with the millers and have agreed that we are going to work together for the interest of Nigerians. I think you have been buying a bag of rice at the cost of N18,000, but today the price is between N13,000 to N15,000, meaning that the price is coming down.”

On whether the price would crash further to about N7,000 per 50kg bag, as was the case some years back, Goronyo replied, “Of course! Not even N7,000, it will crash to N6,000. Just give us some time; in fact, in the next few months and it will be for 50kg.”

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