Abstract

Nigeria belongs to the leading importers and consumers of rice worldwide. Billions of Naira is spent annually to import rice to increase its total supply. Rice produced by local farmers is processed by cottage mills that produce low quality milled rice, containing mainly dirt, stones, having short grains and unpolished; making the rice unattractive, poorly priced and rarely attractive to the people. In spite of the contributions of different researchers in the country, no locally produced commercial rice processing machine exist since none have been optimized and tested for specific machine parameters. Overview of the development of milling machine for effective utilization, adaptation and increased rice production to meet her local demand was done. Step-by-step reference point on the development of rice processing machines was done. It is suggested that more user friendly rice mills should be installed in all rice producing parts in Nigeria to process grains that have comparable quality with imported rice. Locally developed rice processing machines should be adapted and made available for application by farmers at subsidized prices. Extension services should be intensified to teach the farmers on utilizing and adapting latest technology, with synergy between all stakeholders in order to enhance rice production. Stakeholders must work towards making sure that rice quality is guaranteed during production. More researches should be conducted with funding from relevant organs of governments and institutions. Stakeholders should work towards enhancing rice availability, accessibility, affordability, utilization, stability and improved standard of living of the people.