A long line of customers queue along a glass divide separating them from a rice food station at an eatery in Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital. Diners can choose between white rice, fried rice and jollof at this popular local restaurant known as "The White House".
A steady flow of customers is served in the main hall, and in two packed adjoining rooms diners are enjoying Nigerian dishes.
Rice is the basis of the popular national dish jollof and a staple across the country.
The problem is not a lack of land, or that there are not enough people to grow it in Africa's most populous country.
A long line of customers queue along a glass divide separating them from a rice food station at an eatery in Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital. Diners can choose between white rice, fried rice and jollof at this popular local restaurant known as "The White House".
A steady flow of customers is served in the main hall, and in two packed adjoining rooms diners are enjoying Nigerian dishes.
Rice is the basis of the popular national dish jollof and a staple across the country.
The problem is not a lack of land, or that there are not enough people to grow it in Africa's most populous country.
During the grain market crisis eight years ago, Nigeria experienced shortages in rice that made the country rethink its food security and ability to supply the local market.
As a result, President Muhammadu Buhari has made rice farming a priority.
Nigerians' appetite for rice means that the country imported nearly 17 million tonnes of it over the past five years. Duties for imported rice are currently 60% and consumers have seen the price of a bag of rice double in the past 12 months.
Many domestic players have been entering the market. Olam, a multi-national agribusiness, set up a rice farm in 2012 in response to government calls for local players to help feed the 170 million Nigerians.
Nigeria's rice in numbers
A long line of customers queue along a glass divide separating them from a rice food station at an eatery in Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital. Diners can choose between white rice, fried rice and jollof at this popular local restaurant known as "The White House".
A steady flow of customers is served in the main hall, and in two packed adjoining rooms diners are enjoying Nigerian dishes.
Rice is the basis of the popular national dish jollof and a staple across the country.
The problem is not a lack of land, or that there are not enough people to grow it in Africa's most populous country.
During the grain market crisis eight years ago, Nigeria experienced shortages in rice that made the country rethink its food security and ability to supply the local market.
As a result, President Muhammadu Buhari has made rice farming a priority.
Nigerians' appetite for rice means that the country imported nearly 17 million tonnes of it over the past five years. Duties for imported rice are currently 60% and consumers have seen the price of a bag of rice double in the past 12 months.
Many domestic players have been entering the market. Olam, a multi-national agribusiness, set up a rice farm in 2012 in response to government calls for local players to help feed the 170 million Nigerians.
Nigeria's rice in numbers
- Imported nearly 17 million tonnes over the past five years
- Imported 2.3 million tonnes in 2016
- 2016 demand was 5.2 million tonnes
- Spends $5m (£4m) a day for rice shipments
- Rice accounted for 1.26% of the entire budget for 2017
It is a bumpy journey to Olam's farm in Rukubi village close to the Benue River in Nasarawa State. The lush green fields of the farm are an oasis among miles and miles of dusty red road and bushes.
Large metal silos carrying 228,000 tonnes of rice rise up from the ground, gleaming in the scorching afternoon sun. Manager Anil Nair, drives us around 4,500 hectares of the farm and mill.
Most of the farm hands have finished work for the day. They usually work in the rice paddies from 07:00, before the sun gets too hot. Only a few women remain, standing ankle deep in the paddies, planting rice seedlings.
This is one of the largest rice farms in Nigeria and although it grows 50,000 tonnes each year, that is still just a small fraction of the country's demand.
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