RIFAN chairman says Nigeria can be rice sufficient

The Chairman, Rice farmers association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Kano state chapter, Alhaji Abubakar H. Aliu has advocated the continuation of the policy of rice acceleration towards self sufficiency using the growth enhancement scheme of inputs and mechanization to ensure expanded production to substitute importation. Read his excerpts below.

Can you introduce yourself, your association and what you do?

My name is Abubakar H. Aliu, the chairman Rice Farmers’ Association of Nigeria, Kano state Chapter. And one of our main crops that will produce is rice.

What would be your reaction to any plan ban on rice through the road borders?

 Well actually to me it is like a child play because let me start from last administration because Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) has an input policy of growth enhancement support (GES) which gives support to both fertilizer and certified seeds to small scale farmers at a very subsidized rate. About 2-3 bags of fertilizers and almost free seeds were given to us which has already started recording positive impact on the rice production in the country since 2012- 2015. Right now with this new administration we have not got this GES for this year. But for those other years, the production of rice based on that ATA has given an increased yield in terms of production. So my view here for banning importation of rice, actually is very good idea. Why I say is like a child play was that for the last five years, we have been doing work on rice production with positive result because from 2011- 2012, Nigeria is producing about 3 million metric tons of rice paddy which have been doubled with production of 6.5 million metric ton in 2015, while we consume 5.5 metric tons of rice. With this kind of programme going on, I was surprised when another policy is talking about opening our border for rice importation which is very unnecessary. I feel the government should look into the matter for the sake of farmers who had really suffered to ensure production in the past three to four years.

 In a nutshell, is the idea of banning welcome by you and the rest farmers?

 Yes because the GES in the last year have boosted rice production. All the crops we produce in Nigeria, the past minister, Dr. Adesina use this value chain crops to enhance it accelerated production. They are really getting somewhere.

People are saying the last administration did not do well in area of agriculture, what is your take?

No, I do not think that is true. I think they have done very excellently job in terms of Agriculture because I am part and parcel of agricultural ATA project which I know has helped the increase in our production in this country. 

If you have option to advice this present administration, would you say they should continue ATA policy or come up with their own policy?

No, I think they should continue with the policy only they have to make changes in the area of total concentration on small scale farmers, which means the medium and the large scale farmers are left behind. So I think this administration should look into that and continue with this GES because to me it has boosted crops production in the country.

Are you sure what you are saying is the position of majority of your members?

Of course, because I am the chairman in Kano state, and I am also coordinating the North West, so majority of the farmers in this country are in the North, so what I am saying, I am quite sure is the mind of many farmers. 

What are the challenges you have in rice in terms of scientific planting, production cost and marketing?

Really when you talk about production and challenges we are having, I think we have to talk about the seeds particularly, if we can get better seeds that can give us more yield like China, India, Thailand etc where good seeds and mechanized farming is the hub of their increased yield production and other nations of the world. Well majority of us here do not have the capacity to do mechanized farming, so we need to introduce it in the country with help of government. The new administration must look into this and take it very serious.