Rice de-stoning machine fabricated in Lagos

A rice de-stoning machine has been fabricated by the members of the Nigerian Association of Technologists in Engineering (NATE). During the official commissioning of the machine at the Federal Institute of Industrial Research (FIIRO), Oshodi, Lagos,  the President of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Engr. Kasim Ali, advised local rice […]

A rice de-stoning machine has been fabricated by the members of the Nigerian Association of Technologists in Engineering (NATE).

During the official commissioning of the machine at the Federal Institute of Industrial Research (FIIRO), Oshodi, Lagos,  the President of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Engr. Kasim Ali, advised local rice farmers, who could not afford to purchase the machine individually, to do so through their local cooperatives.

While describing the machine as the solution to Nigerian rice problem, Ali noted, however, that the federal government should maintain the ban on rice importation for local farmers to thrive.

“Every country that has progressed did so because small and medium enterprises thrive. The government is focusing on made-in-Nigeria goods, the machine and its components are made in Nigeria, and they need to be encouraged,” Ali said.

The national President of NATE, Ahmad Yabagi, said the machine, which weighs 45kg, costs N600,000, while noting that the price will reduce overtime as all materials for production were locally sourced. 

Yabagi noted that Nigerians preferred imported rice due to the presence of stones in the local variety. 

He noted that the fabricated machine will not only reduce the importation of rice, but also increase the demand for the locally made rice and also increase employment for the masses. 

He called on the relevant government agencies and parastatals, fabricators and rice processors to synergize and ensure the machine benefits all rice farmers in the country.