Lucrative export opportunities exist for Ofada rice
TradeInvestNigeria Staff
Posted on: Tue, 12 Feb 2008


Research by PrOpCom, a UK Department for International Development programme, has revealed that a massive potential exists for the export of Ofada rice to Europe and the USA.

Ofada rice is a short, robust and brown rice planted mostly in Ogun State and some other states in western Nigeria. It is identified with brown stripes because it is unpolished.

According to the study there are about 340 000 Nigerians living in the UK and a potential demand for 120 tonnes of Ofada rice.

Reasons for the industry's current inability to supply an adequate amount of the rice to the UK and Ireland are the following:

  • a lack of proper distribution channels
  • the difficulty of preparing the Ofada rice sauce
  • the relative high price of the product
  • the presence of impurities due do the fact that it grown in a chemical-free environment

    The market in the US, however, seems to have an even greater potential for growth than the one in the UK. The number of Nigerians in the country stands at over 2-million. The study says that around 30% of these would be willing to consume Ofada rice if the product is marketed effectively.

    Roland Oroh of PrOpCom said Nigerians need to take advantage of the 30% export expansion grant facility from the Nigerian Export Promotion Council and start with the large-scale export of the product to overseas markets.



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