Dishonest Practises In The Rice Market In Kastina Lead To A Revolution In Kilogramme Pricing
According to a report by Daily Trust, paddy rice buyers in Katsina State's local markets recently changed their pricing method on a per-kilogram basis.
Farmers in the area have been making huge profits from their produce while this important transition occurs. Paddy rice has traditionally been sold by the bag rather than by weight throughout the last two years.
Buyers were forced to switch to a kilogram-based pricing structure due to the prevalence of dishonest farming methods, where some farmers failed to clean and sift their crop adequately, increasing its quantity fraudulently and maximising earnings.
An experienced rice farmer from Kafur Local Government Area named Bashir Mamman provided insight into the difficulties faced by local farmers. He emphasised that many farmers had chosen to diversify their crops, choosing sorghum and soybean to lower production costs due to the rising expenses of fertilisers and the inherent risks involved in the cultivation of rice.
Rice prices increased from N15,000 per bag last year to the current range of N25,000 to N30,000 per bag, depending on the quality and variety, Mamman said. "Rice production has not been as robust as last year, and the persistently high cost of living has placed significant pressure on its demand. To boost yields and maximize profits, many farmers have refrained from properly cleaning their produce from the fields, a practice that has prompted buyers to rely on kilogram measurements to accurately determine the actual weight of the rice.”
Mamman emphasised that a bag of paddy rice would weigh around 81 kilogrammes and cost N360 per kilogramme in the best-case scenario. "As you are aware, paddy rice comes in many varieties, each with a different weight," he continued.
A bag of a particular kind would cost N25,200 if it weighed 70 kilogrammes, N29,160 if it weighed 81 kilogrammes, and N25,200 if it weighed less than 70 kilogrammes. Anything weighing less than 70 kilogrammes is considered to be of low quality.
Analysts in the rice industry warned earlier this year of a serious worldwide rice shortfall, the biggest imbalance between supply and demand the sector has seen in two decades.
Due to decreased output and ongoing global disturbances like the crisis in Russia and Ukraine and export limitations imposed by India, rice prices have remained high ever since the COVID-19 epidemic broke out.
Yunusa Na Garba, a rice farmer and purchasing representative for processing businesses, emphasised that production-related issues, rather than statistical projections at the international level, had a greater impact on local farmers in Katsina State.
"Farmers in our region are mostly concerned with securing access to improved rice seeds and being able to afford necessary agricultural chemicals and fertilisers for cultivation," said Garba. The majority of us were initially unaware of the likelihood that rice cultivation may provide significant profits over the following two decades, according to a global analysis.
Garba also emphasised the potential for rice shortage in the coming months as a result of a protracted period of insufficient rainfall last month, primarily because rice crops need enough moisture during seed production.
Daily Trust noticed that the cost of stable rice remained unacceptably high for the typical customer despite the current spike in rice harvests when visiting the Funtua and Dandume marketplaces. Locally refined rice cost N2,000 per unit (tiya), while a 100-kilogram bag cost a whopping N76,000 per unit.
The switch to per-kilogram pricing in Katsina State highlights the ongoing dynamics and difficulties that local rice producers and consumers must deal with as they navigate monetary constraints and external market factors.
