Nigerian Floods Destroy 1 1/2 Months of Nation's Rice Supply
- Plantations in four states in country's northwest affected
- Imports to make up for the losses would cost $225 million
This article is for subscribers only.
Floods in Nigeria destroyed rice plantations that produce about 11 percent of what Africa’s biggest economy needs to meet this year’s consumption.
Above-normal rainfall in the country’s northwest region caused the banks of the Sokoto and Rima rivers to overflow in the Sokoto and Zamfara states, flooding rice plantations and destroying about 626,250 metric tons of the staple, Lawal Shehu, Kebbi state’s director of produce, said by phone. In the Kebbi and Jigawa states, a combined 635,000 hectares of low-land, rain-fed plantations have been affected.