Rice farmers’ associations have attributed the continuous price hike of rice in Nigeria to the activities of unscrupulous farmers and middlemen in the sector. Leaders of the associations made this assertion in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos. The Vice-Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Mr. Sakin Agbayewa, specifically stated that the consistent fluctuations in rice prices are largely due to human manipulations, despite efforts by the government to stabilize the market.