Nigerian Customs Lifts Restriction on Importation of Rice
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (retd.), has ordered the immediate removal of rice from import restriction list and the re-introduction of import duty payment at land borders.
The Public Relations Officer of the customs, Mr. Wale Adeniyi, who made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Wednesday, said that the restriction was only applied at the land border stations before now, adding that the customs boss had lifted the restriction.
Adeniyi said that all rice imports through land borders by rice traders would attract the prevailing import duty of 10 per cent with 60 per cent levy.
He added that rice millers (preferential levy) with valid quota allocation would also attract a duty rate of 10 per cent with 20 per cent levy on rice importation.
It should be recalled that before the ban on rice importation, customs had placed different rate of levy on rice imports, with a 30% levy placed on rice millers (preferential levy) and 70% for rice importers.