The ban on importation of rice into Nigeria coupled with the momentary closure of Nigeria’s land borders with her neighbouring West African countries, has revealed the status of rice as an important economic crop and a major staple food for millions of people in sub- Saharan Africa in general and Nigeria in particular.
Within the season under review, not only did Nigerians damn the consequences and made deliberate and conscious efforts to smuggle-in rice into the country, its price soared tremendously high in response to the high demand.
Although Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) identified this increased taste for rice in 2001 when it declared that “the demand for rice in Nigeria has increased at so much faster rate than in any other African country since the mid 1970”, the presidential initiative, which considered ban on importation of rice as a tool to triggering local production, has further helped to unfold the magnitude at which Nigerians treasure this cereal.
While there exist pockets of rice farmers across the length and breadth of the country, supposedly enough to produce about half of the local consumption need, it is possible that the alarming surge in population growth may have redesigned the consumption trend of rice in the country.
It is therefore not to be viewed as a bad omen, but a window to expand the horizon for rice production, and explore its economic potential in the global market.
A decade ago, rice accounted for 10% of household food spending, and 6.6% of total household spending, according to official report. Given the importance of rice as a staple food in Nigeria, boosting its production was accorded high priority by the government.
It was for this purpose that different development studies on rice production were carried out, giving birth to some of the agricultural programmes such as the Agricultural Development Project (ADP), Abakaliki Rice Project (ARP), and the Presidential Initiative on rice (PI).
Nonetheless, despite all these government intervention programmes aimed at achieving self-sufficiency in rice production, one is not surprised how the demand-supply gap has continued to widen, causing the country more expenses on yearly importation of rice worth over two billion dollars, an amount enough to make significant impact if invested within the country.
Some analysts have blamed this on the domination of the Nigerian rice production sector by small-hold farmers who by virtue of their low income have dwindling capacity to access and procure capital, labour and modern inputs.
In the face of a market environment that do not guarantee a fair price for return to investment on modern inputs, the farmers are indeed faced with a production environment that is capable of limiting their enthusiasm to adopt improved production technologies in agricultural production, whereas Nigeria’s rice statistics suggest that there is an enormous potential to raise productivity and increase production.
Ideally, as population increases, along with rural-to-urban migration, ensuring food security in key staples becomes critical. But this cannot be achieved by a system that depends almost entirely on human muscle power and other manual methods.
However, apart from creating an enabling environment that ensures the profitability of mechanisation so as to attract the required investment, no idea can be more ideal than government’s collaboration with local and foreign investors in this regard .
It is on this note that the Nyesom Wike – led administration’s alliance with a South Korean Agricultural Company, Chang B2B Company Limited, to commence a mechanized rice farming in Rumuewhor, Emohua Local Government Area of the state, which will seat on a 10,000 hectares of land is highly commendable.
The agricultural project by the South Korean investor no doubt, is part of the state government’s development framework to promote investment in the agricultural sector of the state’s economy, it is not only intended to create job for not less than 2,000 Rivers citizens, it is very key to food security. Nevertheless, it is still unclear why close to eight months since the introduction of these foreign partners, work is yet to commence.
The anxiety herein expressed by the writer, does not in any way suggest any loss of confidence on the ability of the executive governor of the state to make real his promise of developing the state in liason with private investors to create jobs across the state. It is just about the scriptural injunction of redeeming the time given the evil days ahead.
With the Rivers Rice Project on board, many unemployed youths who may have been distracted for the wrong reasons, could possibly be rehabilitated. With more foods on the table of the state indigenes, the state would definitely be a better place to be.
A little delay on the proposed take-off of the project, reminds Rivers people of the Niger Delta Development Commission’s proposal to revive its rice processing plants at Elele-Alimini, a case that appears suffocated in the pipeline.
The said wasting rice mill with a combined capacity of 210 metric tonnes per day at Elele in Rivers State and Mbiabet-Ikpe in Akwa Ibom State, has the capacity to impact positively on the economy, yet it is left to rot.
If the State government has developed a framework to promote foreign direct investment in the state, especially in the agric sector, where flexible land acquisition scheme has been entrenched and here it is in partnership with a foreign investor committed to foreign investment over the years, I think the scheme should be enabled to fly.

Sylvia ThankGod-Amadi