Lagos State is positioning its rice industry to tap into the projected $38.4 billion global fortified rice market by 2035, as it steps up efforts to expand local production of nutrient-enriched rice.
The state has begun training rice millers and regulatory agencies on fortified rice production, seeking to combine the growing commercial opportunity with efforts to improve the nutritional quality of a staple consumed widely across Nigeria.
According to Future Market Insights, the global fortified rice market is expected to grow from $22.5 billion in 2025 to $38.4 billion by 2035, representing a compound annual growth rate of 5.5 per cent.
The three-day training held in Lagos is aimed at equipping industry players with the technical knowledge and regulatory requirements needed to produce fortified rice at scale.
Speaking at the programme, Dr Oluwarotimi Fashola, Lagos State Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture and Food Systems, said Nigeria’s high rice consumption presented a major opportunity for fortification.
“Rice is the singular food product that best reaches everybody, from the youngest to the oldest,” Fashola said.
He explained that fortifying rice with essential micronutrients could provide a practical way of addressing nutritional deficiencies, particularly among children and young people.
Nigeria’s rice consumption is projected at 8.6 million metric tonnes in the 2025/26 marketing year, according to the United States Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service. That represents a five per cent increase from the 8.2 million tonnes projected for the previous marketing year.
Despite the size of the market, Fashola said rice fortification remains at an early stage in Nigeria.
“There are only about six rice mills that have the capacity for fortification across Nigeria,” he said, stressing the need to expand production capacity, consumer awareness and adoption.
Lagos has already introduced Eko Fortified Rice, alongside Eko Rice Farm Fresh and Eko Rice Classic.
The fortified product contains essential micronutrients, including iron, folic acid and vitamin B12.
The state launched its rice fortification plant and Fortified Eko Rice at the Lagos State Rice Mill in Imota, Ikorodu, in November 2025. The facility is among the relatively few rice mills in Nigeria with the capacity to fortify rice with essential micronutrients.
Fashola said the state would continue to collaborate with rice millers, regulators and development partners to expand fortified rice production and strengthen the wider rice value chain.
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) stressed that regulatory standards would be essential to maintaining quality and consumer confidence as the fortified rice industry expands.
Mrs Nene Obianwu, the Deputy Director and Head of the Food and Agriculture Group, Standards Development Department, SON, said the relevant code of practice would help manufacturers maintain consistent production standards.
She noted that standards would ensure that fortified rice produced by different manufacturers meets the same requirements.
“The standard helps you to get it right. It helps you maintain consistency so that you do not deteriorate,” she said.
Regulatory compliance has also featured in previous industry training involving SON and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
