According to the new agreement, 50kg of local rice prices should not exceed N16,000 in the state.
The agreement was announced by Muhuyi Magagi Riminga, the chairman of the commission following a meeting with the rice millers association.
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Riminga revealed that the millers agreed to release 30 trucks of rice at the rate of N15,500 per 50kg bag to dedicated supermarkets that will not sell above N16,000 to consumers.
The chairman, who regretted the high cost of rice during the COVID-19 lockdown, noted that the commission received the mandate of the government to prevent hoarding and rise in the cost of food items in the state.
He said, “We had a meeting with the Rice Processors Association to see how to resolve the artificial inflation in the price of the product in the state. Because of this COVID-19, they will be giving out 30 trailers of rice to supermarkets in the state.
“Supermarkets will receive the goods at the rate of N15,500 and will not sell more than N16,000. Hence, supermarket owners will buy rice directly from the processors to avoid hoarding of the product and subsequent inflation. This is the proposal of the commission.
“Secondly, we noted that the markets from where they source the raw materials have closed down as a result of the lockdown, which might be the reason why there is an increase in the price of the product.
“They, therefore, want both the state and the federal government to allow the markets where the paddy rice is sold to operate. If this is done and Kano processors are allowed to operate, it will have a significant impact on the price control of rice not only in Kano but all over the country.”
The chairman of the rice processors, Muhammad Abubakar, who lamented the acute shortage of paddy rice in Kano, appealed to the federal government to reopen other markets where aggregators source the raw materials for the millers.
