THE Lagos State Government has announced that the commercial sale of the state-grown rice, Eko Rice, from the Imota Rice Mill will properly commence by June, as opposed to the earlier plan of April 2023.
According to media reports, this new information was disclosed by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture and Rice Mill Initiative, Dr Oluwarotimi Fashola, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, May 21, 2023, in Lagos.
Fashola stated that the Eko Rice would hit major markets by the first week of June, as commercial sales began last week in the Ikeja axis, to civil servants and some institutions in the state.
He says a 50kg bag of Eko Rice would cost between N32,000 and N33,000, while the 25kg bag would be sold at prices ranging between N17,000 and N18,000, noting that the price of Eko Rice is not on the high side when compared with the same quality of rice in the major markets at N38,000 for a 50kg bag.
“Eko rice is already in the market, but you can be sure that the main markets will have it by June. For example, we have started with the Ikeja axis, the civil servants and institutions right now that’s ongoing; we started last week. By the first week of June, the major markets in Lagos will also start having it,” he said.
The Lagos Government official also noted two sets of issues; the distributor price and the market price.
In his words: “The market price average is between N32,000 and N33,000 for the 50kg bag, for the 25kg bag, I think it’s between N17,000 and N18,000.
“The same quality of rice in the major market is sold for N38,000 for the 50kg bag while us selling at N32,000 and N33,000 is not high.
“There are various brands of rice; you have the 30 and 45, and most of the imported ones are selling for N42,000 and N45,000.
“Most of the good quality ones in Nigeria sell for N38,000 to N40,000, and we are selling at N32,000 and N33,000.”
Fashola also stressed that quality is important, and the Lagos Government would not lower its quality because it wants the masses to be well-fed.
“It is a gradual process, and the distribution is a monthly thing.
“Don’t forget Lagos has a 20 million plus representative, and we are only with a mill, and it is only serving a fraction of that, so you wouldn’t expect it in every household,” he said.
Recall President Muhammadu Buhari had earlier, in January 2023, inaugurated the long-awaited 32-metric tonnes per hour Lagos Rice Mill located in Imota, Ikorodu, a suburb of Lagos.
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