Udemezue, Joseph Chidozie Research Officer, National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, Abia State, Nigeria, udemezuej@gmail.com
Introduction
Agriculture was the backbone of the Nigerian economy before oil boom. It is also the main foreign exchange earner of the country; the share of the agricultural exports in total exports is estimated at about 60% and is also rated as the main employer of the rural population. According to household budget survey of the National Bureau of Statistics (2019), 74% and 26% of rural and urban population respectively are engaged in agricultural related activities. Despite the high contribution of agriculture to national growth, the growth rate of the food production in the country has been relatively lower than that of population growth. This could partly be due to underestimation of agriculture as an engine for nation building and some unforeseen constraints.
Rice (Oryza sativa) is a staple food in Omor town and other parts of the world. A lot of researches have established Nigeria as the current largest producer of rice in Africa (Nwalieji, 2020). The annual rice production in Nigeria has witnessed an increase from the average of 5.5 million tons in 2015 to 5.8 million tons in 2017 (Udemezue, 2018). Recently, Nigeria surpassed Egypt to become the largest producer of rice on the continent and is quoted to produce about 8 million tons out of Africa’s 14 million. Rice consumption has also increased because of its increased local production and also due to increase in population; the consumption rate now is 7.9 million tons ((Okunlola, Ajileye & Owolabi, 2020). The increase in rice production in Nigeria is therefore not sufficient enough to meet the increase in consumption and population as the country imported about 3 million metric tons of rice in 2018 while 2.3 million metric tons was imported in 2019 as a result federal government policy on operation go back to farming (Okunlola, Ajileye & Owolabi, 2020). In Anambra State of Nigeria, almost every rural and urban household consumes rice as an important staple food. Rice is an increasingly important crop in the State. However, Anambra and Ebonyi States are the major rice producers in the southeast Nigeria, in which Anambra is at the top. In Anambra State, Ayamelum is the major rice producing local government area, while Omor Town is the largest rice producer among the 8 towns in Ayamelum LGA; thereby making Omor to be the Rice Food Basket of not only Anambra State but Southeastern Nigeria (Nwalieji, 2020).
Soil infertility and low use of chemical fertilizer have been seen as two major factors inhibiting productivity growth of agriculture in Africa (Udemezue, Nwalieji & Nnenna, 2017). Fertilizer has been a major component of improved rice production technologies being promoted by the extension package. When a farmer uses the improved technologies in his physical and economic environment, there is a wide yield gap difference between what the farmers get and what the researchers obtained. The wide disparity in yield is partly due to incomplete adoption of the total technology package, which may be due to stepwise adoption pattern of farmers, risk consideration and scarcity of funds. Limited access to information and non-availability of complementary inputs such as fertilizer and other likely factors and modern input use such as fertilizer is an important determinant of agricultural productivity and constantly low agricultural productivity is an important contributor to poverty persistence especially in agricultural based countries such as in Africa. In view of this, it is important for agricultural research and policy makers to understand the reasons behind the persistence of high fertilizer usage in the study area (Udemezue, Nwalieji & Nnenna, 2017).
Rice is becoming a commercial food crops and food security in the state. In the community because of its increased importance as a cash crop men and women engaged in rice farming for income generations. Majorities of rice producers in Omor use both traditional and partly improved production methods. Tractors and Hand hoes are the main tools used for land plough and harrowing, planting could be broadcasting or transplanting based on the intention of the farmer. Weeding is done with chemicals while the harvesting is done with sickle. In processing, the main tool used is manual method, although processing machines (manual and powered) have recently been introduced in the community but the cost is high. Both men and women are involved in rice processing but women dominated in the processing. Recent observations have shown that rice is increasingly becoming an important cash crop that has an ability to place the community on the threshold of food security and income generation if its potentials could be harnessed through government support.
In Omor, rice is produced under upland, swamp and rain-fed lowland, and is dominated by small holder farmers who cultivate average land of two hectares. The cultivable land area for rice production in Omor is estimated to be about 8,500 hectares comprising Lower Anambra Irrigation Project, Omor rice farm land covering 5,000ha (i.e. net irrigable areas of 3,850ha and 1,150ha of non-irrigable/ undeveloped areas); and 3,500ha (from upland, lowland and swampy farm land areas such as Itulu, Abor, Ude, Nke Oyi, Umuereatum, Umuali, Agbaja, Aturia, Orenja, Amikwe, etc. and rice farm lands cultivated by Omor migrant farmers to neighbouring communities/towns such as Anaku, Omasi, Umumbo and Umerum). Also, at least 20% (770 ha) of the irrigable areas of 3,850ha are currently double cropped by farmers without irrigation as result of early planting at the onset of rain on April/May. This gives an estimate of 9,270 ha of rice cultivated. The average yield of rice farmland in Omor is estimated to 5.0 tonnes/ha of paddy rice and 3.3 tonnes/ha in milled form. Therefore, at least 46,350 metric tonnes of paddy rice and 30,591 metric tonnes of milled rice output are produced and marketed in Omor annually (Nwalieji, 2020). In view of this, to bring the importance of rice productions in Omor into the world view this paper analyzed rice production in Omor as a prospect for nation building. The main objective of this paper is to present evidence of change of the role of rice in Omor from a famine reserve to a cash crop and also to enumerate some constraints working against rice farmers in Omor town, Ayamelum local government Anambra State, Nigeria.
Government’s efforts to promote rice farming in Omor
Agriculture is the main source of income for the majority of the rural population. They generate income through sales of crops and livestock products. Research presented earlier shows that rice farming is mainly used as family consumption and cash crops in the community. However, it is known in the area that rice has a high potential to be a commercial crop as a source of income to farmers. Rice has already outshined other crops like yam, maize, and cassava among others. However, it has been observed that one of the main rice advantages over other crops is its higher income to farmers. A case study in Omor about rice production showed that the income from rice farming was about 70% greater than that from other crops and even the market price for paddy is higher than that of cassava and maize.
In view of the above, realizing the importance of rice farming in Omor the government of Nigeria through the federal ministry of agriculture and rural development has made efforts to promote the crop. These efforts include investments in research, and establishment of Anambra Imo River Basin Development Authority. The river basin in the community for a long time concentrated on developing better yielding varieties, agronomic practices and control of major pests and diseases of rice. These research activities have often been done in collaboration with Anambra State government, National Cereal Research Institute and International Organizations. The main objective therefore was to increase production levels and productivity. Research results show that improved varieties yield up to 50 tons per hectare. The use of such improved varieties resulted into increased net returns to rice production in the community. It has been estimated that with improved varieties net returns from sell of paddy or milled rice range between N1,000,000 and N1,000,200 per ha compared to traditional varieties that range between N520,000 and N530,000. Together with these, more efforts have been recently directed to rice processing and utilization in the area. These include introduction of combine harvester and processing equipment. Because of the efforts, rice was identified as one of the crops categorized as the best community export crops. However, the export market for rice in the community is increasing on a daily bases. It, therefore, requires more efforts to improve the export market of rice for the wellbeing of community and the nation at large.
At the state and federal levels, there are efforts as well to improve rice production. For example there are international market for rice and installation of gigantic rice mill in the community by the state and federal government of Nigeria that needs little rehabilitation to make the town a food security of the nation. Based on this, rice was internationally and traditionally promoted as a cash and food crop. There have also been community campaigns to promote rice for food security. These community efforts have been an instrument for writing several proposals for rehabilitations Anambra Imo River Basin Development Authority located in the community.
Constraints working against rice farmers in Omor community
When food losses are minimized, both food security and income increase. This is of vital importance for small and medium farmers, particularly in developing countries. In the light of this, several constraints have been working against rice production in the community and they are as follows:
Disease and Pest infestations: Poor management of disease and pest that affect rice is one of the major problems that farmers face, because it reduces their rice yield and may even destroy the crop once the farm is affected.
Inadequate finance and high cost of inputs: The majority of the respondents had problems with obtaining loan from private, public and government agencies due to the requirement of collateral security before loans would be given out to them. High cost of inputs restricts farmers from procuring necessary farm inputs in timely manner and adoption of improved varieties may be delayed in due course. Also, the high cost and scarcity of inputs discourages farmers and make them grow alternative crops like maize, cassava, yam, okra and vegetables in the area.
High cost of threshing machine: This was seen as the most difficult constraints by the farmers in the area. According to the respondents, mechanical threshing is expensive therefore losses occur during threshing of rice paddy because some resource poor farmers cannot afford the mechanical threshing machine which led to reduction in quantity of paddy rice, also it is highly stressful threshing the paddy rice using local method apart from the stress the quality of rice is affected.
Animal attacks in the field and during drying: The responses of the majority of the farmers have indicated that animal attack as one of the constraints to rice production in the area. This is done when rice is in the field or when grains are being dried in the yard, rats, grasscutters, goats and hens eat them and these lead to shortage of rice production in the area.
Losses due to over dried or not well dried paddy lead to breakages during milling: farmers complained of the problem of not well dried paddy due to weather condition especially during the rainy season when they experienced more losses.
Use of obsolete milling marching: Most of the farmers stated that machine inefficiency was another factor because some of the processing machines are old, not efficient and breakdown of the machines also affect timing and availability of products which indirectly affects marketing and profit of the rice produced.
Level of soil fertility: This has either positive or negative influence on determinants of fertilizer usage among rice farmers in the community. This implies that the more fertility land is the lesser fertilizer application on it. The farmers in the community have exhausted all the available nutrients in the soil due to constant farming practice on one piece of land without fallowing. Therefore, if the fertility of soil is high, less fertilizer will be applied on it.
Farm size: This is another factor that determines the quantity of rice produced in the area. Farmers with large farm size are more capable to produce more rice provided that other farm inputs are at their disposal. Therefore, the positive influence of farm size on rice production implies that the larger the farm size, the more quantities among rice farmers.
Lack of training to farmers: Training received is positively and significantly related to the adoption of improved rice varieties disseminated to farmers. Therefore, the more training received on improved technologies, the higher the adoption of it. Farmers who receive adequate training on an innovation are more likely to adopt it than those who did not attain training.
Drought: farmers pointed at the natural calamities such as drought as among the major constraint in rice production. The big problem is drought which has been destroying the rice farm. Farmers in the area lack the ability to irrigate and so may end up in harvesting low products.
Poor health status: Poor health status of a farmer can restrict him/her from being mentally composed to adopt an improved agricultural package such as improved rice package. Poor health status constrains farmers’ access to adoption as it will make it difficult during the mental decision process of innovation. Farmers who have received treatment will be physically fit to engage in production activities.
Bad road network: Bad rural road network has also been identified as constraints by the respondents to rice production in the area. Inadequate road network effectively hinders the development of efficient trucking and transport systems for agricultural marketing and agro-business development thereon. In the same, farmers indicated that access to road reduces transportation cost and encourages the adoption of improved rice varieties.
Level of education: Educational level is one the constraints working against the adoption of improved rice production technology. Formal education helps the farmers to obtain useful information from radio, internet, agricultural news letter and other sources. Former education usually aids famers and lead them to accept new farm technologies more readily to increase their income than those farmers without a formal education. In developing countries, a general characteristic of famers is that they are tradition bound. They are afraid of taking risk and will not take until they are convinced that the new methods are safe, will pay and will not violate their values. However, most famers are tradition bound because of their low levels of education. Some farmers claimed not to thrive in rice cultivation due to lack of agricultural skills and knowledge on the selection of rice planting materials, timely planting, proper spacing, and weeding among many requirements. Therefore, farmers’ educational background is a potential factor in determining the readiness to accept and properly use advocated technologies.
Conclusion and recommendations
The analysis presented in this paper shows that there is potential for rice to be a commercial crop in Omor rather than just a famine reserve. There are prospects for marketing rice both domestically and abroad. Evidence has shown that with assurance of a reliable market, rice production can be increased. It is suggested here that government should put efforts towards establishing micro-finance and agricultural banks in the community because farmers don’t have access to banks and at the same time making the interest rate and collateral security affordable to them. Also farmers’ organization should work in partnership with financial institutions in order to make access to credit facilities easy to farmers as well as increasing food production. Poor health status had greatly exposed farmers to production failure as well as high expenses incurred as a result of medical treatment. Therefore, rehabilitation of the existing health centre in the community and treatment of rural farmers should be given due attention both in the affairs of Federal, State and Local Government level. Government and farmers should intensify more efforts to ensure that some challenges constraining rice production, processing and marketing should be arrested through governmental and self-help effort. The existing Anambra Imo River Development Authority should be rehabilitated and strengthened by the government to achieve both the state and federal mandate. Good road network should be provided by government to easy the production, marketing and transportation of the rice produced. When these are done, rice produce in Omor community will not only make Anambra State the food basket of the south-east but also there are prospects for nation building from it.
References
National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) (2019). Household budget survey 2000/2019.Nwalieji, H. U. (2020). Omor, the rice food basket of South-Eastern Nigeria. Omor Renaissance. https://ezeanaukwu.com/blog/index.php/2020/04/25/omor-the-rice-food- basket-of-south-eastern-nigeria/
Okunlola, J. O., Ajileye, A., & Owolabi, O. (2020). Rural women involvement in post- harvest rice production activities in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension, Economics & Sociology, 38(9), 100-105. https://doi.org/10.9734/ajaees/2020/v38i930411
Udemezue, J. C. (2018). Analysis of rice production and consumption trends in Nigeria. Journal of Plant Science and Crop Protection, 1(3), 305
Udemezue, J. C., Nwalieji, H. U., & Nnena, G. M. (2017). Determinants of fertilizer usage among rice farmers in Anambra State, Nigeria. Journal of Global Agriculture and Ecology 7(2): 53-59,