Nigerians Routinely Feast on 10-Year-Old Rice – Research

Research carried out by Punch has revealed Nigerians regularly eat rice that is at least 10 years old.

This is directly as a result of the amount of imported rice consumed in the country. Nigeria imports rice majorly from Thailand, Vietnam, India and Brazil. These countries have agricultural policies put in place to ensure that they have grain stockpiled for long periods in the event of a major global food crisis. In order to cater for their large populations, the countries have a vast network of silo storage facilities where rice is stored.

When new rice is produced and stored, the old rice is shipped to Nigeria for consumption.

Onajite Koloko, MD of Notore Chemicals – Nigeria’s largest fertilizer manufacturing company, told Punch the nutritional and health implications of eating 10 year old rice left much to be desired and said there was need for local stakeholders to encourage local rice production.

He said, “The development is sad that Nigerians eat 10-year-old rice on a continual basis. Most of the rice imported into the country must have been kept in storage facilities of exporting countries for not less than 10 years before releasing it into the Nigerian market and other African countries.

“It is regrettable that we are in this situation. This is a key area we should develop to save ourselves from the economic losses and possible health hazards of eating stale rice.”