- Local rice mills idle
- Prices hit ₦100k again
- Crisis may spark unrest
Rice prices are now setting off serious alarm bells across the nation. A rising tide of concern has been stirring among both consumers and industry insiders alike.
Eko Hot Blog has already spotlighted the intensifying challenge faced by ordinary Nigerians at market stalls, where affordability is swiftly slipping away. More voices are now joining those alarmed at where this could lead.
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Stakeholders warn that we may be teetering on the edge of a full-blown rice crisis if decisive actions aren’t taken. Reports indicate that short-term policy measures, such as duty-free import windows, are yielding unintended consequences undermining locally produced rice and swelling prices instead of curbing them.
Even with Nigeria’s substantial milling capacity reportedly over 13 million metric tonnes most of it remains underutilized. Why? Imported and smuggled rice floods the market, eroding demand for domestically milled varieties and leaving farmers and millers with unsold stock and stalled operations. Communities across rice-producing states from Kebbi to Ebonyi, Plateau to Jigawa are bearing the brunt of this decline.
Meanwhile, prices continue to climb alarmingly. After falling back to around ₦65,000 per 50kg bag earlier this year, rice costs have surged again some brands now fetch as high as ₦100,000 in Lagos markets. Many buyers are abandoning the full bag purchase altogether, opting for smaller measures like “Derica” just to stretch their budget.
This volatile mix of policy missteps and market distortion isn’t just about budgets—it’s now a matter of economic stability and national security. Authorities have voiced real concern that the unraveling rice sector may spark rural unrest, intensify migration to cities, and erode public trust all of which could carry dangerous consequences in the run-up to the 2027 elections.
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