Nigeria completes installation of four paddy rice mills in Yenagoa

NIGERIA – Nigeria has inaugurated four new paddy rice processing mills in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State in a significant move to bolster its rice production capabilities.

Installed by a technical team from the Republic of South Korea on December 27, 2024, these mills have a combined processing capacity of 40 tonnes per day. This initiative is a collaborative effort between the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the Bayelsa State government.

This development is part of a broader effort to increase Nigeria’s rice production and reduce dependence on imports, as rice is the second most imported cereal after wheat in the country.

Beke Sese, Bayelsa’s Minister of Agriculture, expressed optimism about the new facilities, noting that they will significantly boost local rice production.

“This will lead to an exponential increase in our rice production, bringing us closer to our annual target of 1 million tonnes,” Sese stated.

Bayelsa’s current contribution to Nigeria’s rice output is modest, with the state producing approximately 95,000 tonnes of paddy in 2021, less than 2% of the national total, which was over 8.3 million tonnes.

This move aligns with Nigeria’s broader efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in rice production. With a target of producing 1 million tonnes annually, Bayelsa State is playing a key role in strengthening the country’s rice industry.

Nationwide, Nigeria is working towards reducing its reliance on rice imports, which have been substantial due to the country’s growing demand for rice.

Despite this progress, Nigeria remains a net importer of rice. In 2023, the country imported about 2.3 million metric tonnes of rice, a 10% increase from the previous year, making it one of the world’s largest rice importers.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Nigeria produced over 5.3 million tonnes of milled rice in the 2023/2024 cycle, while its domestic needs were estimated at 7.5 million tonnes, leaving a significant production gap filled by imports from China, India, and the United States.

In recent years, Nigeria has made strides in improving its rice milling capacity, with the country’s rice production seeing considerable growth.

The government’s various initiatives, including the Anchor Borrowers’ Program (ABP), have facilitated greater investment in paddy production, further driving efforts to make Nigeria self-sufficient in rice.

With other projects, such as the Imota Rice Mill in Lagos State, also expanding the country’s milling capacity, Nigeria is poised to reduce its reliance on imported rice and move closer to achieving its production targets.

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