By Ibukun Emiola
Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) has urged the Federal Government to ensure predictable market by controlling prices in the rice value chain.
The Oyo State Chairman RIFAN, Mr Samuel Akinade, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan, on Monday.
Akinade noted that the cost of rice, if regulated by the government, will ensure the predictability of the market and check the unjustified increase in the price of what consumers buy due to the activities of middlemen.
“If we plant rice because rain is good and we harvest it, and we sell it to the millers at a moderate price, the millers will add their cost to it.
“But as soon as it leaves the milling centres, what will happen between then and when it gets to the table of the consumers is unknown.
“There are middlemen who will sell the commodity and they can decide to sell for anything.
“Also, the force of demand and supply will take its course, especially…
Source: News Agency of Nigeria
