Benin Republic plans to smuggle 1m tonnes of rice to Nigeria –Lokpobiri

By John Oba
Abuja

Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobori, has stated that Republic of Benin has stockpiled over one million tonnes of parboiled rice in Cotonou waiting to be snuggled in Nigeria.
He Addressed importers, farmers, processors, exporters, and regulators
over smuggled rice and other food items including frozen poultry products and fish through land borders into the country during consultative meeting on illegal importation of food items in his office yesterday.
Lokpobiri said the government is engaging stakeholder as part of efforts to solve the problem, warning that if engagement fail, the government may use coercion.
According to him, the essence of the meeting was to proffer solution to the problem of smuggling of food items with a sustainable strategy.
He said: “Today we have a problem and it is only we that are sited here that can solve that and it has to do with the activities of smuggling, particularly as it relates to rice, poultry products and fish. In the last few weeks the Vice President has been meeting with the ministers of Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, Interior, including customs and some other government agencies with the view of finding a solution to this problem.
“I guess all of you here know the dangers of the consumption of these frozen products, imported rice and fish by the Nigerian population. All of you are aware that there are many strange diseases that are now affecting little children; some at the age of five they are already down these diseases.
As i am talking to you now, there are over 1 million metric tons of rice waiting to hit Nigerian markets from Benin Republic, the rice is not meant for Benin Republic because people of Benin Republic don’t eat parboiled rice but i know that if hotels, eateries, super markets, and others patronize Nigerian agricultural products, the smugglers will not have business.

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