He also expressed fear that food insecurity may hit its worst level in Nigeria if the present scarcity of paddy, a major raw material for the production of finished rice, persists.

Alhaji Dalhatu Abubakar, the Chairman of the Northern Chamber of Commerce Industry, Mines and Agriculture has lamented over the scarcity of raw materials which has forced millers to shut down.

He also expressed fear that food insecurity may hit its worst level in Nigeria if the present scarcity of paddy, a major raw material for the production of finished rice, persists.

Speaking on Monday in Kano, Dalhatu Abubakar who is also the Chairman, Al-Hamsad Integrated Rice Mill, also said that the implication of paddy scarcity would force an increase in the price of finished rice, which would further mitigate the activities of smugglers.

He added that Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), Nigeria is presently the largest producer of rice in Africa, with about 8,435,000 tonnes annually, followed by Egypt, Madagascar, Tanzania and Mali.

He therefore called on the Federal Government’s intervention on the area of mechanisation and assisting the farmers with needed input that would enable all year round production.