Nigeria seen bridging rice deficit on Kebbi model

Nigeria is inching close to bridging its current annual four million metric tonnes rice deficit as the success recorded in Kebbi State is seen encouraging other states to take interest in large and commercial scale production of the commodity.
The Kebbi success story was also traced to the diligent execution of the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
In Kebbi, the Rice Farmers Association co-ordinated their members for verification, while a technical committee set up by the state government worked with the CBN to facilitate disbursement after identifying and verifying participating farmers.
In addition, the state allocated thousands of hectares of land to farmaers and assisted them with farming inputs including tools and fertilser at controlled rates, among others.
Furthermore, there was close monitoring and support from the above listed organisations involved, from planting through harvesting of the crop.
The country presently consumes 6.3 million metric tonnes of rice while local production is put at 2.3 million metric tonnes, leaving a shortfall of four million metric tonnes. The country targets 2018 to be self-sufficient in rice production.
Kebbi, which is considered as the number one producer and also the pioneer location for the CBN’s Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) has grown its production exponentially to 1.1million tonnes of paddy rice from the dry season planting alone. Over 78,000 farmers in Kebbi are captured under the ABP.
Stakeholders say the Kebbi success story can be replicated in 13 other states and more, including Sokoto, Niger, Kaduna, Katsina, Jigawa, Kano, Zamfara, Admawa, Plateau, Lagos, Ogun, Cross-Rivers and Ebonyi, which are already pushing to draw from the ABP to migrate from small holder farmers to commercial or large growers. Anambra for example, though not captured in the ABP, is one state where interest in rice cultivation has been demonstrated.
“There are some areas in the south-east, south-south and south-west where the success in rice production can also be replicated,” said Mihael Aderohunmu, CEO, M&K Agro.
Garuba Dandiga, Kebbi state commissioner for agriculture, had thrown the challenge to other states when he told BusinessDay; “What I want is for other states that have this Fadama land to copy from what Kebbi has done. If other states had emulated us during the last dry season planting, the issues around cost of rice should have gone down drastically without anybody intervening, because there would be rice in abundance and that would have regulated the market price.”
Aderohunmu also noted that the model adopted in Kebbi has worked very well and can be replicated anywhere else in the country. According to him, the most important thing is to sensitise farmers and provide them with necessary inputs to produce.
“Already, the two major components which are required; land and population, are available in the south as well, the rest are inputs,” Aderohunmu said, also noting that agriculture has become very vital, not only to nourish Nigeria, but also to produce for export.
The introduction of the anchor borrowers’ programme last year, has seen rice production in Kebbi grow exponentially to 1.1million tonnes of paddy rice from the dry season planting alone.
Lagos, which is seen as a major off taker of the increasing local rice production, and with whom Kebbi State signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the agro value chain in March this year, is scaling up its rice milling capacity from about 2,000 to 42,000 metric tonnes per day.
The state, with the required purchasing power and market, has an estimated consumption of over 798,000 metric tonnes of milled rice per year, which is equivalent to 15.96 million 50 kilogramme bags with a value of N135 billion per annum.
Oluwatoyin Suarau, Lagos State commissioner for agriculture, told BusinessDay that the state is allocating additional five hectares of land in partnership with the private sector to expand the capacity of the Rice Processing Mill in Imota, Ikorodu.
“You will recall that the rice mill in Imota was built with 2.5 metric tonnes installed capacity when it was commissioned in 2012. In April this year during his visit to the mill, Governor Akinwunmi directed the capacity be increased to 10,000 metric tonnes and it was to be further upped to 20,000 metric tonnes in partnership with the private sector. But as I am talking to you, five hectares of land have been allocated to expand the mill to do 42,000 metric tonnes,” said Suarau.
Godwin Emefiele, Governor, CBN, had noted during the launch of ABP, that it aims at creating economic linkages between over 600,000 smallholder farmers and reputable large-scale processors, with a view to increasing agricultural output and significantly improving capacity utilisation of integrated mills.
This, he noted, would close the gap between the levels of local rice production and domestic consumption, as well as complement the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) Scheme of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture by graduating GES farmers from subsistence farming to commercial production Accordingly, he said the CBN had set aside N40 billion from the N 220 billion Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund for farmers at a single-digit interest rate of 9 per cent.
Farmers are expected to benefit from N150,000 to N250,000 as loans under the programme. However, taking a cursory look at the disbursement of the N40 billion at an average of N200, 000 per farmer will imply coverage for only 200, 000 farmers.
In Kebbi state alone, 78,000 farmers were captured under the ABP. BusinessDay also found out that while Kano has registered 35, 000 farmers, only 5,000 have been approved by the CBN.
Abubakar Aliyu, chairman, rice farmers association in Kano state, told BusinessDay that even though only 5,000 farmers have been able to partake in the wet season planting, others are expected to benefit during the dry season planting which starts from December.
BusinessDay was also reliably informed that Bauchi state intends to enrol 50,000 farmers at the end of this year. This will give a total of 163,000 farmers from only three states, while several others are eligible for similar intervention.
This, according to stakeholders, implies the need to expand on the funding and other provisions under the scheme.
Yahaya Adamu Yusuf, chairman, rice farmers association, Bauchi, told BusinessDay that rice production in the state can be boosted from 150, 000 metric tonnes which presently obtains, to one million metric tonnes of paddy rice.

According to him, what needs to be done is to increase the hectarage, especially of dry season farming. With the anchor borrowers’ programme, farmers will be well mobilised and sensitised, and already, most of the irrigable areas of the state are being captured under the programme.
“We are registering farmers, opening accounts with various banks. This month we will start identification of the farms, and training of the farmers. We hope to disburse inputs and money to farmers by December/January in preparation for dry season farming. We are targeting about 50,000 farmers to cultivate at least one hectare, with a minimum of 50,000 hectares at an average of 5 metric tonnes per hectare, minimum yield will be 250, 000 metric tonnes,” Yusuf told BusinessDay.

 

JOSHUA BASSEY & CALEB OJEWALE