The Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) and Sustainable Rice Production (SRP) by the Federal Government of Nigeria to sustain 7.45million tonnes (7.5billion bags of 50 kilogrammes) of rice valued at N2.38 trillion ($3.4billion) in 2023 is targetting 84,000 extension agents and 12 million farmers.
But to meet local consumption Nigeria may rely on additional 2.2million tonnes import following the 2022 flood, which ravaged some farms as local production was mere 5.3million tonnes. Data by a trade portal, Index Mundi, rates Nigeria is the 10th largest consumer of the grain after China with 155 million tonnes; India, 109.25 million tonnes; Bangladesh, 36.8 million tonnes; Indonesia, 35million tonnes, Viet Nam, 21.5million tonnes; Philippines, 15.6million tonnes; Thailand, 12.9million tonnes; Myanmar , 10.3million tonnes; Japan, 8.2million tonnes and Nigeria 7.45million tonnes.
Others are Brazil, 7.25million tonnes; Nepal, 4.72million tonnes; United States, 4.48million tonnes; Cambodia , 4.2million tonnes; Côte D’ivoire, 2.6million tonnes; United Republic of Tanzania, 2.52million tonnes; Mali, 2.35million tonnes and Senegal, 2.1million tonnes. However, in the recently launched National Rice Development Strategy (NRDS II) document by the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mustapha Shehuri in Abuja, the rice value chain had been identified as being strategic to achieving food and nutrition security.
It was noted that the Federal Government was planning to increase the rice area under irrigation from less than one million hectares to 2.7 million hectares in order to boost more local production. Before now, the Central Bank of Nigeria had saved $12.77billion foreign exchange following the ban of the grain in the last seven years in order to encourage local production.
Findings revealed that the country spent $1.83billion yearly on forex prior to the ban of the grain by the government. According to Federal Government’s recent report, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s Anchor Borrowers’ Programme had enable the country to save $5 million in forex daily from importing rice since it was banned.
Shehuri noted that the NRDS II document was a 10-year plan, which seeks to provide direction for the development of the rice subsector to achieve government’s goals of self-sufficiency in rice production, food and nutrition security, employment creation and production of surplus for export.
The Federal Government’s new rice strategy, according to him, also aims at increasing average yield to four tonnes per hectare for rain-fed upland, six tonnes per hectare for rain-fed lowland and 7.5 tonnes per hectare for irrigated ecology through the introduction of new high-yielding climate-smart rice varieties.
The minister noted that cultivable land in the country was estimated at 4.234 million hectares, made up of rain-fed uplands at 30 per cent, rain-fed lowland at 52 per cent, irrigated lowlands at 17 per cent and mangrove at 1 per cent. Part of its goal is to increase the volume of rice paddy produced, stored-up and marketed in Nigeria to meet the widening annual national demand and surpluses for export in the long run and to improve the livelihoods of rice-dependent households in the country.
The minister noted that the objective of the new Strategy would bring more of Nigeria’s potential rice areas into cultivation through land development and make more rice land available.
He explained: “Enhance the productivity of existing cultivated areas through increased adoption of GAP for sustainable rice production and closing the yield gaps existing between farmers. Promote the adoption and use of climate-smart technologies and practices that reduce greenhouse gas emission from rice fields and increase the resilience or adaptation to climate change impact.
“To promote the adoption of SRP standards; to mitigate the negative impact on the biophysical and social environment of rice production. Enhance farmer’s access to quality agro-inputs and their optimal use at a realistic cost.”
