FRANCIS ABAYOMI SOWEMIMO is a Professor in Plant Breeding and Seed Technology Department at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State. He has released several improved seed varieties of maize, sorghum, sunflower, and ofada rice. In this interview with TELIAT SULE and ADEMOLA ASUNLOYE, he dissects the recent developments in the nation’s rice industry. Details in BRIU Rice Industry Report 2020. Excerpts.
Kindly give us an overview of the rice seed industry in Nigeria?
It is well known that rice is the most important staple food crop in Nigeria. It is a crop that everyone loves because of the easy nature of cooking, especially into several varieties of food. The seed system in Nigeria is developing and I can tell you that we will are gradually getting to an advanced stage of seed industry development. Currently in Nigeria, we have more than 50 seed companies that are registered and are involved in rice production, grain, and seed sale. These companies are registered with the National Seed Council (NSC) and the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). They have legal backing to go into seed production and also adopt new agricultural technologies to meet the need of the populace and possibly for export purposes. However, their effort is really not enough because of the increasing number of people wanting to eat rice; it also depends on the kind of rice we are talking about. Most rice varieties in Nigeria are imported or improved. Their seeds are either produced here or imported particularly the exotic rice varieties.
Can we know some of the companies (local) that originated from Nigeria?
I know of some prominent ones such as “Bora seed” “IITA GOSEED” which are based in Ibadan, “Premier seed” (formerly called “Pioneer seed”), “Da-all Green” and” Gold Agric” are all based in Zaria. There are Dizengoff, Dupont Pioneer Seeds, Syngenta Nig. Ltd are foreign seed companies located in Lagos. There are 41 seed companies based in Kano state and Abuja each, 47 in Kaduna state, 11 seed companies based in Lagos, Plateau, Adamawa, Niger and Bauchi states. The reason they are concentrated in that part of the country is because of the weather system. Most of the seeds and crops that these companies are interested in grow better in the North because of the dry season. Like you know, there is need to dry these seeds—the topography of the land, the soil type, and the texture all add up. So you find most of them concentrated there. They also have some of their offices here in down South and in the Eastern part of the country. Although their major concentration is in the North, they are gradually shifting to other regions of Nigeria. The seed companies location, address, and profile can be found in www.seedportal.org.ng
There is a major challenge we normally face in this part of the world: the development of local expertise. What can you say about the challenge of developing local expertise in the area of seed production?
Well, the first thing I will say is that Nigerians have a taste for foreign foods—that is one major challenge. We discovered that when I came from the North, where I worked with the Institute of Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where we studied several varieties of crops like maize, cowpea, sunflower, sorghum, millet, and others. When I came back to the South, many people are into foreign rice research (De Rica). I made consultation with the local people who said they would rather prefer Ofada or any local rice than to go for “De Rica” or foreign rice. But the means to achieve Ofada rice purification and improvement was limited.
Now the first challenge I have made mention is Nigerians’ preference for foreign taste and serving as status symbols. Most researchers who want to carry out research on the improvement of local rice have their attention diverted because of this preference. Finance is another major issue. Most foreign rice has foreign backings by foreign research institutes; they are conscientious, vigorous, political power and have a lot of money for advocacy. Agricultural research institute such as African Rice Centre, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Philippine, International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), among others: they have a big chunk of money with them. Therefore, the Nigerian government, universities and research institutes need a lot of sensitization and deliberate advocacy to showcase the nutritional advantages, resilience and medicinal attributes of local rice especially Ofada rice.
When it comes to Nigeria, the government, unfortunately, are unable to do so much that is necessary. The government in itself encourages agriculture; unfortunately, the money that is pumped into agriculture is insignificant. Moreover, the very few people who are scientists in rice production, breeding, protection, sales, extension, and marketing still have to go back to school for a master’s degree or Ph.D. with their personal money, most often with very little or no aid from the government. The government needs to fund education in this specialized area of rice production and productivity. The government must also recognise farmers and place them in groups and work with them directly. There are groups now made out of farming but they need monitoring so that the money that is being released actually gets to them and used exactly for its purpose.
I consult for some seed and agric-tech companies and firms that are into production and processing. When they came for a field visit, some of the “Baales” said I must have been using something that prevented birds not to invade the farms unlike others—maybe I must have hidden “juju” in the soil or I have someone who comes at night to drive away birds. My reply was no, I use coordination of several methods. There are many types of coordination. I will not go further on these coordinated methods because I am a consultant on seed and grain production and productivity.
Apart from funding, the government must be ready to make available all the equipment (harvester, plough, and sprayer among others) that are needed for all planting operations (weeding, clearing, ridging, etc.). If all these are available, farmers will not suffer that much. Also, the government must also create a very good market environment and accessibility, especially good road network. I am surprised that Ogun state where I am has not taken over the sovereign suburb states: Lagos, Oyo, Ekiti, Ondo and Osun states on farming-related products. Ogun should have been feeding these states with lots of produce from agriculture, and even beyond Nigeria to West African countries. I am also surprised that despite the vast fertile land, very good season, temperature, rainfall, humidity we still couldn’t do much as we ought to. This is why I have problems with administrations and governors; when they come on board, they tend to do that which may not be of utmost benefit to the masses most times. I wish a government can come on board with one point agenda—“agriculture to feed the entirety of Nigeria”. This is very possible! All he needs to do is to assemble people who are go-getters. Who are not the normal administrative people that will just eat, drink and be under air conditioner whereas the farmers are out there suffering to produce crops of less comparative strength such as tomatoes and peppers. We need people who will hit the field in a hungry and angry manner to achieve results. If the people in the field are well-remunerated then everybody in the office will divert from office work to join the field chariot.
Such motivations will see many hitting the farms and making farm settlements and even backyard farms as part-time business. I visited Eweje farm settlement in Odeda local government area, I almost broke down because of its deplorable condition, I heard that some rehabilitation work is going on now. I hope the rehabilitation will be done to other farm settlements build by Chief Awolowo all around southwestern Nigeria. At the Eweje farm settlements, integrated or symbiotic farming of fish, small, large ruminants and crop production can be done with ease. Crop production can go on in that place vis-a-vis all manners of poultry, animal husbandry and all manners of crop production, unfortunately, nothing is going on. I suggest the government lease out to willing agro-business enterprise for proper use of the space and to make returns, train would-be farmers and consultancy services.
We know that all regions in Nigeria produce rice; are there some rice variety that gives maximum yields for each of these regions?
There are! It also depends on the topography (the environment of the soil). There are rice varieties that are low land: those with high soil moisture condition and that requires a little bit of dry season, such are adapted to the Southern part of Nigeria. Those which are upland rice will do very well in the Northern part of the country. It is not as if they won’t do well here in the down South but their yield may be low, however, they will do much better in the Northern part of the country due to the climatic condition. There is rice that has been bred for short duration; they are good for places like Sahel and Sudan agro-ecological zones of Nigeria. There are those that are of medium maturing or early maturing, they are good for middle belt or Guinea savannah areas like Kaduna, Benue, Kwara, Plateau, Nasarawa and Niger state. If you come down South, there are rice varieties that are already bred for these areas. Interestingly, you will find out that Ofada rice, igbimo rice, and Abakaliki rice are doing very well in the Southern part of the country. Production is better in the North because they have the season—the long dry season for them, particularly upland rice varieties. I could give you specific names of rice varieties that are doing well in the down South compared to those that are doing very well there in the North but that may be mistaken for an advert.
