In a bid to intensify local production of rice in Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have conducted several activities on paddy grading standard, including the development of paddy grading manual.

The partnership is also expected to bring to fore the development of draft paddy grading standard by Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), which stakeholders don’t know about. It is also expected to address some standards used by stakeholders such as Integrated Rice Millers (IRMs) seem to contradict with SON draft standard.

In order to discuss possible harmonisation of grading standards and the standardisation of grading methods with the managements and the quality control managers of integrate rice millers (IRMs) and other stakeholders, the workshop on paddy grading standard is to be convened in Abuja, on

December 8, 2015.

To attend this workshop are general managers and quality control managers of 16 IRMs, quality control managers of selected operational companies of grain aggregation centres, staff from Agribusiness and Marketing Department (ABM), Food and Strategic Grain Reserve (FGSR), Department of Agriculture, SON, representatives from JICA  and other development partners.