The Federal Government has launched the sale of 30,000 metric tonnes of milled rice to Nigerians at a subsidised rate of N40,000 per 50kg bag, with the condition that only buyers with National Identification Numbers (NIN) will benefit.
Representing President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, stated during the flag-off ceremony on Thursday that the rice intervention will be sold strictly on a “one person, one bag” basis.
Kyari explained that the 50kg bags of rice, priced at a flat rate of ₦40,000, are part of the Federal Government’s effort to provide subsidised milled rice to help alleviate the ongoing food crisis in Nigeria. “This food intervention can be said to be timely considering the times and challenges we are in as citizens of this great nation,” he stated.
To ensure transparency and prevent fraudulent activities, a multi-disciplinary government task force has been deployed to verify buyers through identification methods such as the NIN and phone numbers. Beneficiaries will be required to provide their NIN, IPPIS details, or phone numbers to access the subsidised rice.
The Director of Strategic Grains Reserve, Ministry of Agriculture, Haruna Sule, explained the process of purchasing the rice, stating that civil servants can access the grains at designated points of sale by using their Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) details. “To qualify for the one person one bag, you must have a National Identification Number, of course, you have phone numbers and those in public service are all registered under the IPPIS platform,” he said.
Sule added that once the buyer provides the required details, a code number and a Treasury receipt will be generated, and with that, the buyer can get to the collection centre and pick up their bag. The receipt will indicate the time and point of collection to eliminate stampede.
The government aims to crash the price of rice and other food substitutes with the injection of 30,000MT of milled rice into Nigeria’s food balance sheet. The sale of subsidised rice is part of the Federal Government’s efforts to cushion the effect of high food prices in the country.
