Mr Moses Nomeh, Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources in Ebonyi has attributed the high cost of rice in the state to high cost of production.
Nomeh who made the assertion while speaking with newsmen in Abakiliki on Wednesday, absolved farmers of blame following the increase in the cost of rice.
The commissioner said that the cost of production inputs such as labour, hiring of machinery, land and herbicides has increased tremendously.
“Farmers are not to blame for the increase in the cost of rice, the cost of production has doubled, don’t forget also that farmers must make small profit.
“They are business people too, they must factor cost of production into the final cost of the product. The business will crumble if such is not done,” he said.
Nomeh urged farmers to be more committed towards improving the quality and cleanness of their grains in the interest of the consumer and their businesses.
“Every consumer wants maximum satisfaction from their money, our farmers have to bear this in mind as business people,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a 50kg bag of locally produced rice is sold between N16,000 and N25,000 in Ebonyi, a major rice producing state in the country.
NAN further reports that a 25kg bag of rice is sold between N7,000 and N10,000, depending on the quality and brand. (NAN)
