Rice Vessels Set To Berth At Nigerian Seaports, As 57,000 MT Of Corn Floods Lagos, Rivers Seaports,

By Roland Ekama

There are strong indications that vessels laden with corn are gradually sailing to the nation’s seaports checks by DAILYFOCUS NIGERIA has confirmed.

It was gathered that vessels laden with the commodities have berthed at ENL terminals , Lagos Port Complex (LPC) and West Africa Container Terminals (WACT) , Onne Port in Rivers State.

With a total of tonnage of 75,000 corn currently being discharged at the two port terminals, there palpable confirmation of price reduction in the local markets.

Apart from the vessels currently discharging maize in Lagos and Rivers Ports respectively, sources told our correspondent that vessels laden with brown rice would soon berth at the nation’s seaports.

In what appears to be a rumour recently, about the importation of maize into the country through the seaports, industry watchers observed that the hardship and food shortages must have been responsible for government to allow such item to flood Nigerian markets in furtherance to crash the high cost of corn .

According to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) vessels expected to berth at the Lagos Pilotage District confirmed that a total of 28,842.130 MT of corn arrived at ENL onboard MV Cape.

Confirming the development to our correspondent on Wednesday in Lagos, Chief Executive Officer,Micura Services Limited, Chief Michael Orobosa Ubogu noted that the development would create more employment for Nigerians .

Ubogu who corroborated the huge importation of maize into the nation’s seaports reiterated that “We heard about corn importation as a rumour but it is a confirmation that the commodities are currently being discharged at the ports.

He stated that:”As we speak ENL is very busy discharging corn because am part of the process”

The stevedoring expert added that:”We also heard it as a rumour that brown rice imports will soon arrive the ports but as it is now that the corn importation has become a reality then no doubts,the rice vessels will definitely come in soon”, Ubogu predicted.

Similarly, a cross section of traders who spoke on the development expressed concerns by calling on the government to lift ban on rice importation in furtherance to reducing the current market price.

The federal government under former President, Muhammadu Buhari restricted about 42 items on its prohibition list with rice as number one item.