THE Lagos State Government has announced the commencement of the distribution of Eko Rice to various major markets in the state ahead of the Yuletide season.
This development was disclosed by Dr Oluwarotimi Fashola, the Special Adviser to the State Governor on Agriculture, during a facility tour of the Lagos Rice Mill, Imota, in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State recently.
Fashola said a 50kg bag of Eko rice would be sold between N43,000 and N45,000 while the 25kg bag would be sold at N22,500, adding that residents could purchase the Eko Rice through the Lagos Commodities and Futures Exchange (LCFE), who manages the mill.
He added that residents can purchase the rice from some markets, which include Daleko in Mushin, Ketu and Iddo, Ikorodu and other major markets in the state.
He said for public servants, provision had been made for them to buy from the Lagos State Inputs Supply Authority (LAISA), Oko-Oba, Agege.
The Special Adviser said the LCFE has a representative in the rice mill that oversees the approved sales and distribution, adding that the State Government would improve the distribution channels with time. He, however, urged the residents to bear with the present reality.
Fashola noted that the government was hoping to improve the mill’s capacity by 20 per cent. Fashola said the rice could not be available in all markets now but promised to improve the distribution with time.
“We need to manage our expectations when it comes to seeing it in the market; it is in the market, but let us understand something.
“Lagos is the largest consumer of rice in Nigeria. Lagos consumes 40 million bags of rice annually. On a daily basis, we have about 25 million people, and each person consumes on a yearly basis about 50kg, so we can start breaking it down to what a person consumes in a year.
“We produced 10 per cent of what Lagos consumes. We’re hoping we will go to 20 per cent, but right now, we produce 10 per cent. Now, if you look at that proportion, you will see that we can only do as much, and that is why we’re saying that go to this market, go to that market, and you will get.
“We cannot flood all markets in Lagos with Eko Rice. So, if you go to Ikorodu, you will get; if you go to Daleko Market in Mushin, you will get it; if you go to Ketu Market, you will get.
“You can go to Lagos Commodities Futures Exchange, and you want to buy a bag, you can buy,” he noted.
It should be noted that the Imota rice mill is the largest in Africa and third globally and has a production capacity of 32 metric tonnes per hour with an overall storage capacity of 40,000 tonnes.