The Operational Evidence Base for Delivering Direct Nutrition Interventions in India: A Desk Review

The principal objective of this paper is to review and assess the policy implications and potential for Nigeria to transform its domestic rice sector and become more competitive with imports in order to ultimately displace them over time. Since 2011, the Nigerian government embarked on an ambitious plan to make the country self-sufficient in rice production by 2015 under its Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA). This was in response to the perceived threat of larger volumes of milled rice being imported into Nigeria every year with an import bill that exceeds US$2 Billion. Aside from rising global prices, domestic demand for rice has been growing at a rapid pace due to changing consumer preferences, rising incomes, and growing urban populations. To achieve its goal of rice self-sufficiency by 2015, the Nigerian government has introduced a number of key policies and investment strategies to reduce imports and increase the competitiveness of local rice. This is being done through a combination of import restrictions, input policy and institutional reforms, and direct investments all long the rice value chain.