Kebbi: A city where rice keeps residents smiling with cash and varieties

To justify the importance of rice among the ‘Kebbian’ families, apart from the regular white rice and stew and jollof rice which are common among the people there are varieties of other rice foods which are popular among the Kebbi people because of their sheer love for rice diet. These includes Tuwon Shinkafa, Masa- rice… […]

To justify the importance of rice among the ‘Kebbian’ families, apart from the regular white rice and stew and jollof rice which are common among the people there are varieties of other rice foods which are popular among the Kebbi people because of their sheer love for rice diet. These includes Tuwon Shinkafa, Masa- rice… molded into balls and eaten with vegetable soup or Yaji (dried grounded pepper mixed with salt or maggi for delicious taste), Nakiya- rice snack specially made during wedding occasion, Kunun Shinkafa-rice porridge,  Furar Shinkafa, another liquid food from rice and mostly common with the Argungu people of Kebbi State.

Why is rice as important as a diet among Kebbi people?

A civil servant in the state’s Ministry of Agriculture, Malam Dauda Abdullahi, told our reporter that the preference for rice as a major food among the people may not be unconnected with the fact that it is cultivated in large quantities from different areas of the state such as: Bunza, Argungu, Yauri, Ngaski, Shanga, Augie, Bagudo, Suru, Birnin-Kebbi, Dendi, Ambursa and others. And as such it becomes cheaper compared to other foods except maize.

He said, apart from this, other uses of rice as diet among the people cannot be compared with other food items. For instance, rice he explained can be used for Masa, Tuwo, Nakia, Kunu, Fura whereas no other food item has these varieties. Aside, he noted that the food item for over the years has been subsidized by government to civil servants hence it has become the most stable, popular and cheaper when compared with other foods.

Another civil servant, Hajiya Hadiza noted that rice is the major food her family preferred. She said it appears that there is virtually anything she cannot use rice to prepare as food for her family. “Let me tell you, we eat rice three times or more in a day in my family. My husband and children preferred it to any other food that you can think of” she said.

Speaking in the same vein, Malam Shikkau, also a civil servant said rice is the major food in the state and as such his family has come to see it as the only source of food to enjoy. “As for me I eat rice three times a day, I only cap it up with Fura and Nono at the end of the day” he added.

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF RICE TO KEBBI PEOPLE

The Bunza market is the biggest rice market in Kebbi State followed by Argungu and Yauri. These markets are fixed for every Friday of the week. Rice traders from different parts of the country on a weekly basis troop into these markets for varieties of the locally produced rice in Kebbi State.

A trader, Malam Aminu Argungu who spoke to our correspondent at the Argungu Rice Central Market said an estimated number of over 3,000 rice traders from different parts of Nigeria come every Friday of the week to buy rice in Argungu, the same was said of Bunza and Yauri rice markets which in turns yield good money for them.

According to him, “We have different types of rice here in Argungu. There is this type that we called Sidi it cost N5,200 per bag and Dan Boto also from Argungu, it cost N4,800. I go to different farms in the state and outside the state at times to Zamfara, Niger and Sokoto to get this rice because our people like rice very much. Every Kebbi family can eat rice throughout the day, it is our main food.

 When asked to tell us how much he makes from selling rice on a daily basis he declined saying, “I can’t tell you how much I make selling rice daily but I can tell you that I smile home every day because I sell what people eat everyday and that is rice.”

Another trader, Salamatu Barde at Bunza market told our reporter that over 300 people patronize her daily. She said, “I sell the varieties of rice like Gumi, Bakaba and Bangila which people use every day to make Tuwo and Masa. A Mudu (measure) of Bangila is sold for N170 while Gumi sales for N150. I sell rice for over 300 people every day. You know our people like rice.”

Hajiya Jamilat, a food seller at Argungu central market said that an average of over 200 people come to her shop to eat rice, and other foods like Masa and Tuwon Shinkafa everyday. “I also sell rice and stew, it is the only food people like here. At times, I sell rice to over 200 people before I close my shop. You see that many people assist me in attending to my customers,” she added.

RICE CULTIVATION IN KEBBI

In Kebbi State, because of the demand and desire for rice diet, rice is grown throughout the year. According to some of the farmers who spoke to us rice production is usually at its boom during the rainy season, however, they insisted that during the dry season some of them still produce up to 80 – 75 bags of rice as against about 120 – 150 bags a farmer may produce during the wet season.

Malam Mailenti Umar, a farmer at Argungu rice farm told our reporter that rice business in the state is a good business. He said he has no regrets since he ventured into it because it has always yielded him profit as a product that is always in demand in the community.

He said, “I specialised in eturawa rice, that is the name of the rice that we grow here in Argungu. Since I started this business, it has been good. You know rice is the food of our people here. During rainy season I can produce over 120 bags of rice but this time in dry season I can only produce between 70 – 75 bags. As you can see we need water to keep this rice growing, I cannot do it alone; I also need assistance from my family and people I paid.”

ROLE OF GOVT IN SUSTAINING RICE PRODUCTION IN KEBBI

To ensure the boost in rice production to meet the demand of the people the state government and the Rice Research Institute have often come to the aid of the farmers in terms of provisions of rice species, water pumping machines, generators, fertilizers to them.

“Yes, government is trying for us especially during this dry season, that is why we have been able to produce all that we have produced last year and Insha Allahu this year” said Malam Aliyu Nora a local rice farmer in Ambursa.