The Federal Government has begun selling 30,000 tonnes of rice husk to Nigerians at a subsidized price of 40,000 naira per 50-kilogram bag.
“It is my pleasure to welcome you all to this historical, all-important, and long-awaited inauguration of the sales of 30,000MT of federal government-milled rice to Nigerians at a subsidized rate of N40,000 per 50 kilograms,” said the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Mr. Abubakar Kyari.
Mr. Kyari on Thursday launched the sale of the subsidized rice husk in Abuja, saying the sale will be carried out across the country.
“This food intervention can be said to be timely considering the times and challenges we are in as citizens of this great nation,” Mr. Kyari said.
He added, “This kind gesture was made possible at the expense and directives of President Bola Tinubu, who does not want Nigerian citizens to go to bed hungry and, in his wisdom, deemed it important to initiate this food intervention.”
Kyari said food prices and chains have been distorted globally in the wake of local factors and challenges such as COVID-19, the Russia-Ukraine war, and climate change. According to him, Nigeria is no exception.
He said the Federal Government is aware of the potential challenges associated with selling a vital staple food such as rice at this critical time.
Kyari stressed that a multidisciplinary government mechanism has been put in place to ensure transparency, wider reach, and success of the measure.
Kyari said the intended recipients will be verified using relevant identification media such as National Identification Number (NIN) and phone number to prevent fraudsters from accessing the product multiple times to the detriment of other citizens.
“In view of the above, I urge our dear citizens to cooperate with the relevant agencies of government who will try to serve you to achieve this great initiative of government.
“It is expected that with the injection of 30,000MT (1,000 trucks of 30MT) each of these important staples into Nigeria’s food balance sheet.
“It will not only crash the price of rice but also other closer food substitutes and alternatives,” he said.
In his speech, the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Bunkure, said the event is an important day to improve the lives of Nigerians.
The Director of Strategic Grains Reserve, Ministry of Agriculture, Haruna Sule, told reporters that employees can use the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) and NIN to directly access the grains at the point of sale. Sule said Nigerians can only use NlN to obtain rice.
“Once you have any of these three, you present it to the sales operators and it is logged on the platform that has been created.
“After this, you proceed to pay electronically with your ATM; once the payment is done, it is linked to the initial sales operator, and it shows that you have paid; then a receipt will be issued with a code number.
“With this code number, you will be issued with a treasury receipt to show you have paid to the government.
“Then, you are given a receipt which shows the point of collection and time of collection; this is to eliminate any form of stampede,” he said.
