- Local rice farmers face a crisis as imported rice floods Nigeria, slashing prices and threatening livelihoods
- Government’s import duty waiver sparks a surge in imports, crippling local production and driving farmers out of business
- Urgent intervention needed to protect local farmers as planting season approaches and self-sufficiency dreams hang in the balance
Pascal Oparada is a journalist with Legit.ng, covering technology, energy, stocks, investment, and the economy for over a decade.
Local rice farmers are sounding the alarm as a flood of imported rice continues to devastate Nigeria’s domestic production, sending prices tumbling by as much as N13,000 per 50kg bag.
In separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, on Sunday, April 19, 2026, farmers described a sector pushed to the edge by the Federal Government’s 2024 import duty waiver on rice and other essentials.
Credit: Picture Alliance/Contributor
Source: Getty Images
What was meant to ease food costs has instead triggered a surge in shipments that local producers say they cannot survive.
Import surge and soaring costs push farmers out
Acting Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria and rice farmer, Mr Sakin Agbayewa, painted a grim picture.
He said:
“With the renewal of the import waiver, tonnes of rice are flooding in,” he said. “It’s crippling local cultivation and driving farmers out of business.”
He pointed to multiple crises compounding the pain. Erratic climate patterns have slashed yields, while the ongoing Iran-Israel-US conflict has spiked global fertiliser prices, pushing production costs beyond the reach of ordinary farmers. Many are now reconsidering planting altogether.
“The average farmer would need to sell at N60,000–N65,000 per bag just to break even,” Agbayewa explained.
“But importers are bringing in 100,000 metric tonnes and selling at N40,000. How can we compete? Local production has dropped significantly, and without urgent capacity-building, the entire sector risks total collapse.”
“No profit, just survival”: State leaders demand action
Lagos State Chairman of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, Mr Raphael Hunsa, echoed the despair. “Rice farming has become unpredictable,” he said.
“Most of us are just managing. Many cannot even afford fertiliser, let alone break even. There is no enabling environment.”
Hunsa accused the government of failing to deliver promised support. “After clearing land, planting and harvesting, importers still undercut us.
Some farmers sell at rock-bottom prices just to feed their families. If the government truly supported us, importers would have no market.”
Traders confirm the price crash
Rice trader Mrs Tolu Ajiboye in Agege Market confirmed the dramatic shift. Around Easter, a 50kg bag sold for N61,000–N63,000. Today, the same bag goes for N51,000–N55,000, depending on the brand.
“Local rice doesn’t stand a chance,” she said. “Some producers have resorted to rebagging their rice in foreign sacks just to sell it.
The market is flooded with cheaper imports, and for now, consumers are enjoying the affordability, but the future of our local farmers hangs in the balance.”
As the planting season approaches, Nigeria’s rice farmers stand at a crossroads.
Credit: Novatis
Source: Getty Images
Without swift intervention to protect local production, cushion input costs, and restore market balance, many fear the nation’s self-sufficiency dream could vanish, along with the livelihoods of thousands who depend on the crop.
Rice exempted as FG releases import prohibition list
Legit.ng earlier reported that the Nigerian government has updated its list of items not allowed to be imported into the country, with cement, soaps, fertiliser and 14 other goods and products on the list.
The development was announced in a circular issued by the Ministry of Finance and signed by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, following presidential approval of the 2026 fiscal policy measures.
The document, which was quoted in Punch, stated that the revised measures became effective from April 1, 2026, under the ECOWAS Common External Tariff guidelines.
Source: Legit.ng
