Senate on Monday revealed plans to smuggled over 150 tons of imported rice at the sea port in neighbouring Benin Republic waiting to be passed through Seme Border into Nigeria‎

A member of Senate committee on Agriculture, Senator Adamu Aliero who made this disclosure during an oversight visit of the Senate committee to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development‎ warned that once that happens, it would discourage local rice farmers.

He explained that it would be inimical government’s current effort to boost local rice production if 150 tons of is smuggled into the country.

In his response, Minister of State for Agriculture, Heineken Lokpobiri explained how difficult it has been for government to secure genuine support from authorities in Benin Republic to curb the activities of smuggling through the neighbouring West African country. 

He said a lot of “high calibre” politicians in Benin Republic are involved in the syndicate currently running down Nigeria’s economy through smuggling.

Addressing the lawmakers, Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbe said Nigeria would have to act decisively and quickly too to curb the continuous use of Benin Republic as transit for ban substances into Nigeria. 

Ogbe said government would not lift ban on importation of rice, pointing out that his ministry would not accept such line of thinking especially at a time when it is doing everything to encourage local rice farming.

He disclosed that with expected bumper harvest for this year, Nigeria would stop importing rice in the next 18 months.

He denied statements credited to him that the reason rice is expensive is because Nigerians eat too much of it.

The minister however disclosed that budget implementation for 2016 has been slow because of its late passage as well as delay in procurement processes.

Chairman Senate Committee on Agriculture, Abdullahi Adamu is pleased with the position of the minister, urging him not to succumbed to pressures from rice importers and be tempted to reverse government policy on the matter.

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