By Sophie Labari:
Rice is one of the major staple foods in Nigeria today which is found in almost every home. There is hardly anyone who does not include it in his/her diets at least once every week.
The two types of rice found in Nigeria are the Local and Foreign. The local rice which is grown in some parts of the country is short grained, brown in colour and popularly called “Ofada rice” in the southwest and “Abakaliki rice” in the south east of the country.
On the other hand, the imported rice which is grown, processed and packaged from other parts of the world, is long grained and white in colour.
In processing the foreign rice, the essential fats which is known as aleurine layer, according to experts, is removed and eposed to air and then becomes susceptible to oxidation.
This leads to increase shelf life and striped it of its original and natural nutrients such as vitamin, iron, magnesium, zinc among others that could have been of beneficial to the consumer.
With the rise of various ailments associated with some processed foods and awareness created over the years, Nigerians have become cautious and therefore desire to eat more healthy and nutritional foods, a development they say makes them prefer the local rice which is devoid of shelf life.
Speaking to AFRICA PRIME NEWS a Rice Merchant at the Sheik Gumi Market, in Kaduna metropolis, Northwest Nigeria, Yahaya Kabir confirmed that the daily sales being recorded on local rice had almost doubled what they recorded in the past.
He however stated that the imported rice still maintain its price of between #18,000 and #20,000, a little higher than the local, depending on the brand.
According to him, most buyers say they prefer local rice because of the taste and its nutritional value and less shelf life.” They always tell us that the imported rice takes longer period to come into the country which must have affected its nutritional value”, Kabir said .
So, preferring local rice to Imported rice, Nigerians seem to have now realized that a healthy nation is a wealthy nation.
And going by the recent prediction by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, that the country would witness a bumper harvest, especially of rice this year, is a strong indication that the nation is on the march towards attaining self sufficiency in foods and by extension, export.
https://www.africaprimenews.com/2018/06/29/news/nigeria-border-closure-group-urges-rice-farmers-to-increase-production/