A.R.N Food, AGI Miltec partner to boost quality rice production in Nigeria

By Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha 

A.R.N Foods, one of Nigeria’s commodities trading companies is transitioning into rice milling and production and has partnered AGI Miltec, a global company for all grain processing solutions to process quality rice in a bid to boost food security in Nigeria.

Nigeria is the largest producer of rice in Africa, producing about 8,435,000 tonnes annually, followed by Egypt, Madagascar, Tanzania and Mali according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).

Speaking during the contract signing by both organisations recently at the George Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos, Adelota Nola, the founder and CEO, ARN Foods said the partnership between both organisations would see A.R.N Foods leverage innovative solutions of AGI Milltec to process quality rice for the Nigerian market.

Nola said rice milling enhances backward integration from what A.R.N Foods is already doing, adding that while the current rice deficit is large, A.R.N is starting to drive the solution and opening up ideas for others interested in operating in the space.

“Deficit is very large. We can only start from somewhere. If we sleep and say the problems are so much and there is nothing we can do about it, then we will all just continue to sleep. But if we say we can do a little by taking the first step to solving the problem like we are doing today, then someone from somewhere can emulate what we are doing.

“If 100 people try to solve the problem, one day the problem will be solved. We have taken the first step to solving the rice deficit problem in Nigeria,” he said.

Nola hinted that when he started, he thought it was a project that could be solely funded by him with a sum of one to two million dollars but he realised that project would cost 10 million dollars or more.

He said banks and investors are interested in supporting him because of his track record.

This article has been republished from The businessday.ng