The sale of 30,000 metric tonnes of milled rice to Nigerians at a subsidized rate of N40,000 per 50 kilogram bag has begun. However, the Federal Government has said that prospective customers must provide their National Identification Number (NIN).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Sen. Abubakar Kyari, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, opened the sale of the discounted milled rice on Thursday in Abuja and said that the initiative would be implemented nationwide.
According to Kyari, given the circumstances and the nation’s present problems, the rice intervention was appropriate. He stated that during this crucial time, the
Federal Government was cognizant of the possible difficulties related to the
sales of a significant basic like rice.
Verification of buyers
- According to Kyari, a multidisciplinary government apparatus has been put in place to guarantee the exercise’s success, transparency, and larger scope.
- He claims that the way the procedure is set up makes sure that no one receives more than one 50 kilogram bag of rice.
- In order to prevent fraudulent individuals from gaining repeated accesses to the commodity at the expense of other residents, he stated that intended beneficiaries will be “verified using relevant identification mediums such as the NIN and phone numbers.”
“In view of the above, I urge our dear citizens to cooperate with the relevant agencies of government who will try to serve you to achieve this great initiative of government.
“It is expected that with the injection of 30,000MT (1000 trucks of 30MT each of this important staple into Nigeria’s food balance sheet, it will not only crash the price of rice but also other closer food substitutes and alternatives,” he said.
Process of purchase
Highlighting the process Nigerians would have to follow to purchase the rice, the Director of Strategic Grains Reserve, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Haruna Sule, said civil servants could access the grains from the point of sale with their Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
“Once you have any of these three, you present it to the sales operators and it is logged on the platform that has been created.
“After this, you proceed to pay electronically with your ATM; once the payment is done, it is linked to the initial sales operator and it shows that you have paid; then a receipt will be issued with a code number,” he explained.
- He stated that the buyer will receive a Treasury Receipt with the code number, proving that they have made payments to the government.
- The purchaser is thereafter provided with a receipt that indicates the site and time of pickup, preventing any kind of crowding.
- He pointed out that the point of collection and the point of sale are distinct, saying that “when you get to the
- At the collecting location, you will receive a bag of rice after presenting your code to our staff.
- He stated that the distribution will last for as long as they can complete sales at the five to six sales locations that will be put up throughout the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Abuja.
