Despite Shut Down Of Border, Real Reasons Local Rice Is Having A Hard Time Against Foreign Ones

Eniola Adeniyi

The local rice – produced by indigenous farmers – is doing very poorly against the imported ones in the market, despite the total shut down of the nation’s borders societynow.ng confirmed.

And the reason for this is attributed largely to price.

‘’Yes there are talks about the taste and quality but it is largely more about price’’ societynow.ng learned.

Checks by societynow.ng revealed that the price margin between the two products is very negligible close.

‘’When you talk in terms of bags, there the price difference fluctuates between One thousand Naira and Two thousand Naira but when it is scaled down to the retail level of cups, the price difference is just Fifty Naira and the local rice is cheaper’’ societynow.ng gathered.

‘’But that price is negligible when quantity and quality and last of all taste are factored’’ according to market research.

Statistics show that most locally produced rice – whether by conscious or unconscious actions – are bedeviled with stones.

‘’Most buyers would rather sacrifice the price difference than risk toothaches’’ a source stated.

Further revelation has it that there is the talk of quantity.

‘’Whether through processing, there are some foreign rice that multiplies when you cook them. They increase in size beyond the normal and most buyers know those brands. That trait is very rare in locally produced rice. And when people looking to get extra for normal price want to buy rice, locally produced ones are certainly not an option for them’’ a source pointed out.

Societynow.ng gathered that quality and taste are the factors that play a huge role in which one to buy amongst people with purchasing power.

And many opt for foreign ones because ‘’ not many of the locally produced rice have attained that height of the taste synonymous with foreign rice’’.

‘’Above all, there are the economic saboteurs who are making a killing from the price difference. These individuals identify the good locally produced rice and rebag and sell them as foreign rice in the bid to make huge returns’’ a source pointed out.

‘’Another fact is that despite the shut down of the border, the foreign rice are still finding their way into the market but at a reduced rate’’ another source threw in.