Ban on Rice Importation Through Land borders Not Lifted – Customs

Contrary to earlier unauthorised on­line media reports that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has lifted the ban on importation of rice through land borders, it said at the weekend that the ban remains and may be outright in 2017.
The National Public Re­lations Officer of Customs and Deputy Comptroller, Wale Adeniyi, made the statement while describ­ing the misinformation as the handiwork of those who wish to cause confu­sion in the public.

“Rice remains banned through our land borders and we have the commit­ment of partnering oth­er government agencies and stakeholders to en­force this restriction.
“The restriction is still in place; while this re­striction is in force, rice imports through the ports are still allowed subject to payment of extant charg­es.
“It is worrisome that the publications that re­surfaced this weekend were being attributed to a press interview granted in October 2015. We strong­ly suspect that some pow­erful forces behind rice smuggling are at work, recycling an old report under a different circum­stance to create confusion.
“We urge Nigerians to watch out for similar antics as the firm stand on rice smuggling will pitch their selfish inter­est against our national interest.
“It has become neces­sary to re-state the true position in view of the confusion which these online publications may create in the industry. It is even more expedient to provide this clarification
given the fact that the Service has taken a firm position earlier in the week through a joint press conference with stake­holders.
“It is equally impor­tant to restate the confi­dence of the Nigeria Cus­toms Service in the ability of Nigerian Rice Produc­ers to fill the existing suf­ficiency gaps in the supply of the product,” he stated.