Nigeria’s rice production has declined to 8.3 million tonnes for the 2024/2025 cycle, down from 8.9 million tonnes the previous year despite ongoing government efforts to boost agricultural output.

This decrease has raised concerns as the Federal Government continues to implement interventions aimed at enhancing food security and addressing hunger across the nation.

Data from the United States Department of Agriculture, accessed by The PUNCH on Wednesday, revealed a downward trend in milled rice production.

According to the USDA, between the 2014/2015 planting season and the 2024/2025 season, rice production increased by two million tonnes but decreased by 600,000 tonnes compared to the 2023/2024 planting year.

Despite relatively stable production figures up to the 2023/2024 season, rice production has notably fallen to 8.3 million tonnes in the latest cycle.

According to data from BudgIT’s accountability platform, GovSpend, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation paid the Rice Processors Association of Nigeria N76bn in March 2024 to supply rice as part of an emergency intervention to alleviate Nigeria’s ongoing food crisis.

Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Abdullahi in 2024 reaffirmed the government’s commitment to addressing hunger.

https://punchng.com/rice-production-drops-to-8-3mt-despite-interventions-report/