Jubilation exploded in Warrake, a community in Edo State, last week when the rice harvest began. Warrake is regarded as a farming hub in the Owan East local council area of the state.
Farmers in Warrake, a food-producing basket in the Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State, had every reason to celebrate the harvest of their 50-hectare rice farm facilitated by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
This was the inaugural harvest under the NDDC Rice and Cassava Farmers Empowerment Programme, which is expected to cover the nine states of the Niger Delta region. The region is undoubtedly rich in agriculture, aquaculture, and mineral deposits, with tremendous and largely untapped potential for tourism.
The success recorded in Warrake signposts NDDC’s determination to support smallholder farmers in growing their operations and becoming training centres for youths as part of a plan to advance food security and promote youth employment.
Nigeria has difficulty in its journey in the rice revolution, underlined by a decline in annual rice production from 10.89 million metric tonnes in 2017 to 5.2 million metric tonnes in 2023. This is as Nigeria’s consumption is put at 6.7 million metric tonnes per year, whereas the country can only produce 57 percent of its consumption needs, posting about 3 million metric tonnes of imports to help out.
This must be why rice has witnessed a sharp rise in price since 2023, rising from N25,000 on average per bag in 2023 to N50,000 on average per bag in January 2024, before shooting to N110,000 at the moment (December 2024).
NDDC officials said what happened at the Warrake rice farm shows the gains of leveraging the agricultural potential of the Niger Delta region and promoting the shift from traditional to mechanised farming methods.
Speaking at the trailblazing harvest in Warrake, the NDDC Managing Director, Samuel Ogbuku (PhD), described the event as a significant day in the history of agricultural programs in the Niger Delta region.
Ogbuku, represented by the NDDC Director of Agriculture and Fisheries, Winifred Madume (PhD), expressed delight at the young farmers’ enthusiasm for boosting food production.
The MD/CEO declared, “This farm’s success is significant because it has adopted full agronomic processes and mechanisation from land preparation to harvesting practices. We can also see that the seasons are not stopping the programme, as work continues even into our short dry season.”
He recalled the fresh effort by the NDDC thus: “On June 5, 2024, we gathered at the headquarters of the Commission in Port Harcourt to formally onboard participating communities that provided land for this programme across the Niger Delta region.
“The NDDC boss noted that the Commission was equally working with farmers in Rivers and Akwa Ibom states, stating that as the floodwaters receded, the programme would sustain all-season farming across all the states of the Niger Delta region.”
“I recall the enthusiasm of farmers and community leaders at the ceremony and their fears based on numerous past disappointments. I was happy that we started working with farmers in the first set of communities a few weeks after the ceremony. Today, I am pleased that we have begun harvesting here in Warrake.”
The NDDC boss noted that the Commission was equally working with farmers in Rivers and Akwa Ibom states, stating that as the floodwaters receded, the programme would sustain all-season farming across all the states of the Niger Delta region.
He stated further: “I encourage farmers, communities, and the consultant to continue working closely with us to replicate this success across all the project areas and improve on our accomplishments.
“I thank President Bola Tinubu for his commitment to the sustainable development of the Niger Delta and the special emphasis he has placed on food security in Nigeria. The NDDC will continue to work on accomplishing his directives.
“During the onboarding programme in June, we assured everyone that this programme will be successful. Today, this harvest serves as a milestone in a journey far from complete but has certainly taken off on a strong footing.”
Ogbuku said that the lessons learnt from this inaugural farm and others currently at various stages would support the efforts of the NDDC in continuous improvement of the programme.
He thanked the Warrake community’s leadership for making the land available and providing an environment that would enable the project’s success.
He also thanked the farmers for their hard work, which, he said, led to the harvest they were celebrating today. “From the proceeds of this harvest, we will continue to sustain this programme even as you benefit from your hard work.”
Speaking earlier on the agricultural programme, the NDDC consultant for the project, Von Dimieari Kemedi, co-founder and CEO of Alluvial Agriculture and an agricultural value chain consultant and financing expert, said that the objective was to ensure that the Niger Delta region regained its status as the leading light in agriculture, especially in rice and cassava farming.
He stated that NDDC was revitalising agricultural development in the Niger Delta and that the commission was very central to the development of agriculture in the region.
He explained that the Warrake rice farm started with a land preparation covering about 98 hectares, of which 50 were planted.
The traditional ruler of Warrake, Alimu Ogbeidu, stressed the importance of food security and urged the federal government to ensure adequate protection for farmers engaged in food production.
The royal father, represented by a chief, Mustapha Orogho, appealed to the NDDC to construct the access road to the rice farm in Warrake.
One of the beneficiaries, Gbadamosi Kadiri, a chief, hailed President Tinubu for the beneficial and timely initiative, which he said they would continue to support. However, he urged NDDC to help them fix the dilapidated road to the farm.
A Warrake Community youth leader, Kasimu Mohammed, identified lack of capital as the major constraint to commercial farming. He noted that with proper funding, smallholder farmers would contribute substantially to food production in the country.
It would be recalled that earlier in the year, the NDDC entered into a partnership with the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) as part of its efforts to ensure food security in the Niger Delta region.
The NDDC boss told a delegation from the farmers’ association, led by the Deputy National President of RIFAN, Victor Korede, that the Commission was ready to partner with RIFAN to develop agriculture in the region, especially rice cultivation.
According to the NDDC Executive Director, Projects, Victor Antai, the Niger Delta region was blessed with the right ingredients for growing various crops and vegetables, stating, “Because of the arable wetlands, rainfalls, and other favourable ecological factors, the region is in a better position to plant various crops and vegetables at least four times within a farming season.
“We are trying to move away from the oil economy, and the sector that can accommodate our youths in large numbers is the agricultural sector. We also want to move from subsistence agriculture to mechanised farming to harness all the opportunities that the Niger Delta region has to offer.”
Antai noted that the NDDC had built two rice mills in Elele-Alimi, Rivers State, and Mbiabet-Ikpe, Akwa Ibom State. We are interested in the farmers’ association’s smart agriculture approach.”
The executive director (projects) went on: “In fulfilling President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the NDDC introduced a pet programme known as Holistic Opportunities, Projects, and Engagement (HOPE); agriculture is one of its key components.
“The Project HOPE initiative seeks to engage youths of the region by creating employment opportunities for them. We have collated the data of the youths in the region, and so many of them are interested in agriculture. The NDDC is resolute in the quest to provide food security in the Niger Delta region, and we need to engage the youths in agriculture to achieve this goal.”
Antai observed that the Niger Delta region was endowed with the right ingredients for growing rice, stating, “The Niger Delta region, because of the arable wetlands, rainfalls, and other ecological factors in its favour, provides the window to plant rice at least twice within a farming season. Therefore, we must engage the rice farmers meaningfully, as they desire to grow more rice.
“We are trying to move away from the oil economy, and the sector that can accommodate our youths in large numbers is the agricultural sector. We also want to move from subsistence agriculture to mechanised farming to harness all the opportunities that the Niger Delta region has to offer.”
Similarly, the Vice President of South-South of RIFAN, Emmanuel Anoh, said the association was set to demonstrate that sufficient local food production was possible in the country.
He explained: “We are discussing with the NDDC how best the region can feed Nigeria and contribute to the President’s agenda of self-sufficiency in food production. Rice is a global staple crop eaten by every home thrice a week.
He added, “The Niger Delta Region has a comparative advantage in rice production in relation to other regions. With the massive arable land, favourable rainfalls, and other ecological factors that can boost rice production in the country, the Niger Delta is the best choice.”
For a long time, the south had watched as the north led in the rice revolution with heavy support from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). It seems to dawn on the south that institutional backing is required to launch the rice drive. This seems to be the backbone that the NDDC is providing.
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