19th March, 2018
Some rice millers have called on the Federal Government, agencies and stakeholders to educate farmers and paddy traders on quality paddy standard so as to standardise the trade in paddy.
The millers made the call in Abuja on Monday in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the just-concluded Paddy Grading Training, organised by Competitive African Rice Initiative (CARI).
Mr Ashi Yangedue, the Production Manager of Kclysat Food and Beverages Limited, said that the training was significant to them, adding that although they had existing standards but the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) standard would unify the rice sector.
“Some of us are familiar with the requirements of the new standard because we were part of the stakeholders that drafted the standard.
“Our standards have been synchronised with the SON standard and the uniform grading standard will be applied to paddy rice in all the rice mills.
“All the rice mills in the country will be on the same page. It is good to have quality standard because rice farmers will know what their expectations, the different mills notwithstanding; so, there will be uniformity,’’ he said.
Yangedue urged the Federal Government and others stakeholders to train rice farmers, paddy traders on the new paddy grading standard in order to facilitate a synergy between them and the millers.
“The CARI training is purely practical and this has increased our knowledge on paddy grading but we do not have some of the equipment, which was introduced to us, in our factory.
“Since we have seen the usefulness of the equipment, my company is planning to acquire the equipment, so as to enable to move from manual way rice grading to scientific way of doing things,’’ he said.
Mr Vinod Godara of Stallion Group said that the CARI training on the paddy grading standard would help to bring paddy traders and millers on the same platform to produce quality rice with quality grading specifications.
“Although each mill has its peculiar grading standard but SON brought its own quality standard to harmonise all the paddy grading standards of the different rice mills so as to have a uniform grading standard.
“It has enlightened us about the importance and quality of paddy standard; at the same time, it has economic benefits because if rice millers are able to buy quality paddy, the output will definitely come out well,’’ he said.
Godara said that the Stallion Group, Popular Farms and Mills Limited and Masco Agro Allied Industries Limited had organised rice millers’ out-grower programme for over 14,000 farmers in 16 states across the country.
“We have been doing this training for the past 10 years and it is aimed at enabling us to get quality paddy but the SON quality standard will really go a long way to ensure the production of quality paddy across the country.
“I urge other millers, Federal Government and other stakeholders to educate farmers and paddy traders on the importance of the SON grading standard because it will boost rice production and the country’s economy as a whole,’’ he said.
Also speaking, Mr Micheal Okunoye, Head, Administration, Paddy and Out-growers, Onyx Rice Mills, said that the SON standard would unify the whole paddy purchasing and grading system in the country.
“It will go a long way to help us spend less time in educating farmers since we now have unified system in the country.
“It will give us guarantee and confidence in buying paddy anywhere in the country; it will promote profitability for us and we will spend less time in cleaning paddy.
“The SON standard will also solve the issues of rice admixture, uniformity of size, empty shell, immature paddy, pest damage and discoloured grains, among others,’’ he said. (