Post by Trade Coach on Sept 12, 2021 23:19:43 GMT 1
Here Is The Reason Why The Quality Of Nigerian Home-Grown Rice Is Poor
Rice is more than a staple food in Nigeria if there is anything more than staple; rice is eaten by almost everybody and every tribe in the country.
The product is eaten and enjoyed very well in the country; there is hardly any occasion involving food in the country that rice will not form a part of the menu. Nigerian children love eating rice, and that is why parents take their time to shop for rice to satisfy them always.
In the time past, farming of rice in Nigeria was done by few persons at subsistence level and that made it very expensive as it was consumed by the rich and at periods of celebration like Christmas and other important celebrations.
In our next article we are going to start a series of how to start rice farming in the profitable way; but in this article we are looking at why the quality of Nigerian home-grown rice has the reputation of poor quality.
To increase the worth of agricultural commodities, you need to process those commodities further in order to increase their commercial values. Processing transforms them from the basic or raw state to a more appealing state thereby increasing their market value.
When it comes to rice, processing is a very important aspect in the production cycle; this is the process that changes the paddy rice into the edible rice you enjoy.
I remember vividly when I was processing rice with my parents in the early seventies; we were using completely crude methods from the beginning to the end of the production cycle. The only thing that looked like mechanization was the milling machine.
I was too young then to actually look into the fabrication of the machine to note the components as children were not allowed to go near the machine for fear of industrial accident.
The major reason why the quality of our rice is poor is because our processing techniques are inefficient and poor. This problem has contributed to the high cost of production and subsequently to high cost of the commodity.
Yes it is true that there is a great improvement in rice production in Nigeria as production has risen to as high as about 9 million metric tonnes from 2 million metric tonnes two years ago; but the processing is still done crudely in the rural communities.
The polished rice you see in the market today is produced mainly by big companies supported by government with modern technologies; but about 80% of local rice produced in Nigeria comes from small scale processors with a capacity of less than 100 metric tonnes.
The small scale processors are faced with financial difficulties that limit their ability to purchase modern rice processing equipment.
You have been seeing our local rice everywhere; it is the brand of rice that you can buy at a cheaper rate than the imported brands.
The processing of rice involves washing and parboiling raw paddy to soften the husk, then drying and milling before sales or distribution to bulk buyers.
After milling, no matter how efficient you were in washing the raw rice, there must be some tiny stones left in the rice. This is where de-stoners come in to play, it makes local rice more appealing to buyers and consumers alike; but majority of the small scale producers cannot afford the equipment.
Most of the small scale rice processors do not have adequate processing capacity; choice of equipment contributes to a large extent the quality of rice the processor will produce and bring to the market.
Though small scale rice processors can now organize themselves into cooperatives to enable them present formidable representation to financiers and other financial institutions that can finance the right equipment that will enable them produce high quality rice in Nigeria; the government still needs to come to their rescue.
Stay with us as we bring to you more articles on farming and agro-exports. Don’t forget that we train exporters, both new and experienced exporters at our training centre in Nigeria. Contact the admin of this forum for more information about our training schedules and other details.
Rice is more than a staple food in Nigeria if there is anything more than staple; rice is eaten by almost everybody and every tribe in the country.
The product is eaten and enjoyed very well in the country; there is hardly any occasion involving food in the country that rice will not form a part of the menu. Nigerian children love eating rice, and that is why parents take their time to shop for rice to satisfy them always.
In the time past, farming of rice in Nigeria was done by few persons at subsistence level and that made it very expensive as it was consumed by the rich and at periods of celebration like Christmas and other important celebrations.
In our next article we are going to start a series of how to start rice farming in the profitable way; but in this article we are looking at why the quality of Nigerian home-grown rice has the reputation of poor quality.
To increase the worth of agricultural commodities, you need to process those commodities further in order to increase their commercial values. Processing transforms them from the basic or raw state to a more appealing state thereby increasing their market value.
When it comes to rice, processing is a very important aspect in the production cycle; this is the process that changes the paddy rice into the edible rice you enjoy.
I remember vividly when I was processing rice with my parents in the early seventies; we were using completely crude methods from the beginning to the end of the production cycle. The only thing that looked like mechanization was the milling machine.
I was too young then to actually look into the fabrication of the machine to note the components as children were not allowed to go near the machine for fear of industrial accident.
The major reason why the quality of our rice is poor is because our processing techniques are inefficient and poor. This problem has contributed to the high cost of production and subsequently to high cost of the commodity.
Yes it is true that there is a great improvement in rice production in Nigeria as production has risen to as high as about 9 million metric tonnes from 2 million metric tonnes two years ago; but the processing is still done crudely in the rural communities.
The polished rice you see in the market today is produced mainly by big companies supported by government with modern technologies; but about 80% of local rice produced in Nigeria comes from small scale processors with a capacity of less than 100 metric tonnes.
The small scale processors are faced with financial difficulties that limit their ability to purchase modern rice processing equipment.
You have been seeing our local rice everywhere; it is the brand of rice that you can buy at a cheaper rate than the imported brands.
The processing of rice involves washing and parboiling raw paddy to soften the husk, then drying and milling before sales or distribution to bulk buyers.
After milling, no matter how efficient you were in washing the raw rice, there must be some tiny stones left in the rice. This is where de-stoners come in to play, it makes local rice more appealing to buyers and consumers alike; but majority of the small scale producers cannot afford the equipment.
Most of the small scale rice processors do not have adequate processing capacity; choice of equipment contributes to a large extent the quality of rice the processor will produce and bring to the market.
Though small scale rice processors can now organize themselves into cooperatives to enable them present formidable representation to financiers and other financial institutions that can finance the right equipment that will enable them produce high quality rice in Nigeria; the government still needs to come to their rescue.
Stay with us as we bring to you more articles on farming and agro-exports. Don’t forget that we train exporters, both new and experienced exporters at our training centre in Nigeria. Contact the admin of this forum for more information about our training schedules and other details.