Paddy Rice (<i>Oryza sativum</i>) Production and Processing in Nigeria: A Review

Abstract

Rice stands as a crucial staple in Nigeria, where its substantial population renders the country and the region as the largest rice consumers. The demand for rice has surged in recent times, transforming it into both a vital food supply chain and cash commodity crop for the developing world. Virtually ubiquitous applied in daily food menu’ of Nigerian diet, the high demand for milled rice in Nigeria is significantly increasing with the increasing population which was estimated at 5.2 million tonnes with an average national production of 3.3 million metric tonnes. These results showed a supply and demand gap average of 1.9 million metric tonnes which necessitating rice imports. While rice processing capacity in Nigeria reaches 2.8 million metric tonnes for paddy rice annually, which covers half of the annual requirement, survey indicates that quality of domestically processed rice is inferior to imported varieties, marked by broken rice, foreign matters, stones, dirt and debris. This led to diminished quality interest in local rice preferring the imported with international quality. An uncompetitive standing of domestic rice both local and global markets present a significant challenge to rice production in Nigerian industries. Consequently, this review aims to assess paddy rice production, processing, consumption, as well as postharvest handling and storage methods in Nigeria. The full mechanization of riceprocessing operations is advocated to reduce paddy rice handling time and minimize deterioration, a key factor contributing to subpar milled-rice quality. It is imperative for both the private and public sectors to intensify efforts toward local rice production to meet citizens' demands. Urgent investments into the production machinery, methods of processing, infrastructure and the policies set by the Nigerian Government and its agencies in rice processing chain are necessary to enhance the quality of processing paddy rice, which will ultimately elevate the quality of domestic rice products.