Tales of Kadawa rice farmers

The dry season farm support programme was launched by President Goodluck Jonathan to make Nigeria self-sufficient in rice. And within two years, a total of 100,000 Kano farmers benefitted immensely from the scheme. Farmers all over Kadawa valley in Garun Malam Local Government Area of Kano State are now making brisk business producing high quality […]

The dry season farm support programme was launched by President Goodluck Jonathan to make Nigeria self-sufficient in rice. And within two years, a total of 100,000 Kano farmers benefitted immensely from the scheme.
Farmers all over Kadawa valley in Garun Malam Local Government Area of Kano State are now making brisk business producing high quality paddy rice for the nation. This is because of the economic benefits of federal government’s rice programme support to Kano, which has been variously described as massive. For example, the total gross value of rice produced in the state rose by N38 billion in two years, while net incomes to farmers rose by N21 billion within the same period.
The fortune of rice farmers in the state is witnessing a positive change. In fact, Sarkin Noman Kano, Alhaji Yusuf Nadabo Chiromawa said it all when he told the Minister of Agriculture that Kano farmers had never seen this level of support by the federal government.
The chief farmer was glad to announce that jobs were being created as the youth are gainfully engaged on the farms.
The UMZA International Farms Limited, for example, is one of the major beneficiaries of this programme.
 Sarauniya Rice Mill is a subsidiary of the company, and is one of the major rice mills that have enjoyed federal government support.
The rice processing company, which purchased paddy rice worth N2 billion this year from Kano and other places in the North-West, produces 24,000 metric tons of parboiled rice per annum.
It is expected that paddy pyramids would soon replace groundnut pyramids in Kano.
Kano is also into a commercial agriculture. In fact, it is one of the five participating states in the Commercial Agriculture Development Project (CADP) initiated by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, in collaboration with the World Bank and other stakeholders. The other states where the project is being piloted include Kaduna, Cross River, Enugu and Lagos. It will support three value chains per state. The project, which is to be implemented over a period of five years, began on April 16, 2009.
By December 31, 2014, when the project is expected to wind up in all the participating states, it is estimated that at least 10, 000 small and medium scale commercial farmers from Kano would have acquired necessary modern skills in agriculture. This is through the acquisition of modern equipment, improved seeds and new storage facilities. Basically, the essence here is to shift from the age-long subsistence farming to commercial-oriented agriculture.
This is in addition to many households also expected to benefit indirectly through access to farm roads, energy and market through spill-over effects. Equally, the project will boost the income of target beneficiaries through a value chain approach, with strong emphasis on stakeholder participation. A typical chain will include producers, assemblers, processors distributors, retailers and consumers.
Significantly, the Kano State government, through the federal government, received a credit from the International Development Association (IDA) for the implementation of the project in the state. It paid its counterpart fund of N155 million in 2009. And a total of 2,097 commodity interest groups (CIGs) were established. This is besides the sensitisation and collaborating activities with stakeholders.
Kano, for example, is expected to produce rice, dairy and maize in commercial quantities. As for the rice, a special attention is being paid to seed multiplication, processing, de-stoning technology, parboiling technology, packaging and re-branding. The project has introduced the adoption of System of Rice Intensification (SRI) among rice CIGs in the state. The effort has resulted in high yields and productivity among the benefitting CIGs.
With just one seed per stand, as well as special water management/weeding techniques and use of organic manure,  harvest is expected to increase by 100 percent.
Chiranci Rice Producers Association, for example, is one of the CIGs that benefitted from CADP grant last year. Their members benefitted from a step-down training conducted by the project.
Also, Rano Rice Producers Association is among the beneficiaries of the rice intensification training. Their upland yields increased significantly.
Interestingly, Kano farmers are now taking advantage of the opportunities provided by this programme and are successfully engaging in commercial agriculture.
Lawal Janbulo wrote from Janbulo Housing Estate, Kabuga, Kano.