‘In Niger State, rice yield is below 2 tonnes per hectare’
The federal government is advocating for self-sufficiency in food, especially rice in the country, how feasible is that in the near future?As far as rice production is concerned in Nigeria, the main producing area is Niger State. Definitely, we can feed Nigeria, even export rice if government is serious in assisting the farmers by giving […]
The federal government is advocating for self-sufficiency in food, especially rice in the country, how feasible is that in the near future?
As far as rice production is concerned in Nigeria, the main producing area is Niger State. Definitely, we can feed Nigeria, even export rice if government is serious in assisting the farmers by giving them the right assistance and at the right time. However, farmers are really very happy because not quite long ago, improved varieties of seeds were distributed to them and even to the extent of letting it go for free. This is the type of assistance the farmers need. What remains is the working capital. You know farmers are not rich and that is why when the season sets on, they need money to work with, even to pay for labour where it is necessary.
I have the feeling that by considering the needs of the farmers, the Nigerian farmers deserve to have loan that is free of interest.
The problems militating against rice farming include that of improved seeds, adoption of recommended practices which are yet to be taken squarely by farmers because at present rice farmers in Niger State cannot produce more than one and the half tonnes per hectare instead of four or more tonnes per hectare as the National Cereal Research Institute, Badegi has been telling us. On whether the rice farmers are benefitting from any form of loan intervention from the state or federal government; if there is any at what interest rate? The loan is coming from the commercial banks. Anybody that wants to collect the loan has to approach the commercial banks with which government made an arrangement. You know there is a programme of risk sharing by the federal government so that banks will not be in fear of bearing risk of giving loans to farmers. Government is prepared to pay a certain percentage of the loss, if it occurs. The arrangement is by the federal government through Central Bank of Nigeria. The arrangement has been there for some time through the Agricultural Commodity Value Chain. If you want to develop agriculture you need to develop from production, processing and marketing.
Are you saying that rice farmers are not enjoying any loan facility from the government?
You know, government hardly gives loan directly to people, normally even if the funds are available from the government, they are channeled through the banks. And the banks that will give out this loan will hardly render such service free. However, the only intervention from the federal government is the fertilizer given to farmers through Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) where, after paying you will go to redemption centre and collect your inputs.
This is a very good arrangement because by that fertilizer distribution by government has been de politicised, you know once you receive a text massage you will go and collect your agricultural inputs and that is done irrespective of your political party affiliation. Government in this regard does not care whether you belong to this party or that party. More so, at the state level the farmers enjoy some certain intervention through rice consortium. It is a consulting firm that handles the state agricultural cultivation equipment. The consortium established centres across the state where a farmer can go and hire cultivation equipment. If a farmer has no money, the consortium will liaise with the bank for the farmer to collect a loan.
In the past hiring agricultural equipment was directly from the government but this time around because of failures experienced in the past, government decided to appoint consultants to handle this equipment issue by establishing centres. The consortium paid the government for the service of the implement and hires them out to farmers. The tractors are available and the farmers are happy. When they were handled by government officials, the maintenance was not good enough as most of them break down. The consortium is in place for the past two years. Though, the hiring of the equipment is not subsidised as compared to when hiring directly from the government but that does not matter much as the availability is what bothers the farmers.
The federal government gives a Guaranteed Minimum Price for rice of N65,000 per tonne which implies that a bag will be N6,500. How much a rice farmer sales a bag of rice now? Right now because of the dry season rice farming introduced by government, rice price has really gone down. The Guaranteed Minimum Price by government is good. Right now the price per bag of paddy rice is ranging from N5,000 to N5,500.
Is there any time within the last few years when the state experienced glut in rice production?
When you talk of glut that is when you produce and you cannot sell but when you produced and you sell then there is no glut. As long as you will sell there will never be glut, may be the country will experience excess when rice is available and there is no export and what follows is the fall in prices.
From Aliyu M. Hamagam, Minna
The federal government is advocating for self-sufficiency in food, especially rice in the country, how feasible is that in the near future?
As far as rice production is concerned in Nigeria, the main producing area is Niger State. Definitely, we can feed Nigeria, even export rice if government is serious in assisting the farmers by giving them the right assistance and at the right time. However, farmers are really very happy because not quite long ago, improved varieties of seeds were distributed to them and even to the extent of letting it go for free. This is the type of assistance the farmers need. What remains is the working capital. You know farmers are not rich and that is why when the season sets on, they need money to work with, even to pay for labour where it is necessary.
I have the feeling that by considering the needs of the farmers, the Nigerian farmers deserve to have loan that is free of interest.
The problems militating against rice farming include that of improved seeds, adoption of recommended practices which are yet to be taken squarely by farmers because at present rice farmers in Niger State cannot produce more than one and the half tonnes per hectare instead of four or more tonnes per hectare as the National Cereal Research Institute, Badegi has been telling us. On whether the rice farmers are benefitting from any form of loan intervention from the state or federal government; if there is any at what interest rate? The loan is coming from the commercial banks. Anybody that wants to collect the loan has to approach the commercial banks with which government made an arrangement. You know there is a programme of risk sharing by the federal government so that banks will not be in fear of bearing risk of giving loans to farmers. Government is prepared to pay a certain percentage of the loss, if it occurs. The arrangement is by the federal government through Central Bank of Nigeria. The arrangement has been there for some time through the Agricultural Commodity Value Chain. If you want to develop agriculture you need to develop from production, processing and marketing.
Are you saying that rice farmers are not enjoying any loan facility from the government?
You know, government hardly gives loan directly to people, normally even if the funds are available from the government, they are channeled through the banks. And the banks that will give out this loan will hardly render such service free. However, the only intervention from the federal government is the fertilizer given to farmers through Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) where, after paying you will go to redemption centre and collect your inputs.
This is a very good arrangement because by that fertilizer distribution by government has been de politicised, you know once you receive a text massage you will go and collect your agricultural inputs