Scientists in Africa have developed Nitrogen Efficient Water Efficient Salt Tolerant (NEWEST) rice variety to increase rice production in the continent.
This rice variety also called Nitrogen Use Efficient (NUE12) allows the plant to make use of limited nitrogen in the soil, resist drought and withstand salty soil.
The NEWEST rice has undergone confined field trials at the National Cereal Research Institute, Badeggi, Niger State and a dossier is being prepared to be sent to National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) for permission for a National Performance Trial.
The project is being carried out by the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), NCRI, Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) and other partners.
The Rice Project Manager for AATF, Dr Kayode Sanni during the Annual Review of the NEWEST rice project, said the conventional rice varieties in the country have a low yield per hectare.
Dr Sanni who is also the leader for Alliance for Hybrid Rice in Africa, based in Nairobi, Kenya said the review meeting will initiate the dossier preparation for submission to the NBMA for approval.
“What we have done is that we have developed rice that can actually grow under low nitrogen and still give a very good yield.
“From the observation and what has been happening in Nigeria, the production of rice has gone up a bit. As at 2015, we are about 3.9 million metric tons, and by 2019, we moved to about 4.5 million metric tons.
“However, we still have a deficit of about 1.2 million metric tons which our production have not been able to meet, and in order to meet that, we will we import.
“The productivity or the yield is low compared to what Global is, the average yield is about 2.2 tons per hectare, that does not say there are no area where you have yield up to 5 tons per hectare, but when you take the average across It’s about 2.2 ton compared to the global average yield which is about 4.3 tons per hectare,” he said.
Dr Sanni therefore, said though the land area for rice has increased there is a need for an increase in the yield so that farmers will have a better yield on their farm, and it has to be done using technology.
“One of the technologies that we have seen, that can help to improve the usage of the nutrients in the soil, which happens to be one of the biggest challenges, that is we need fertilizer. And what caused that is that every year there is depletion in the soil.
“In Africa, it has been observed that the nitrogen resource depletes by about 4.4 metric tons per year, so there is a need to supplement that.
“And one of the ways to sustainably produce these crops is to have crops that can make the best of every little nitrogen that is available in the soil, and that is what we are doing.
“We have to also be conversant with the fact that the excess use of fertilizer leads to greenhouse gas emission, which leads to the release of nitrogen oxide into the environment, which lead to environmental pollution.
“So the reduction of the quantity of fertilizer that the crop is needed help us to become environmental friendly even as we produce our rice.
“What this crop will do for our farmers is that it will serve as security for them, and so that when they plant in a land that has no nitrogen, or in a land where they are unable to have access to fertilizer on time, their crop will still give them something that can make them to maintained their livelihood.”
The Director General of the National Biotechnology Development Agency, Professor Abdullahi Mustapha said Nigeria is moving forward in the area of the development of climate smart crops and NABDA is among the front liners.
He said the country is losing billions of Naira annually owing to the massive importation of rice. He said a lot of job opportunities is lost because of Nigeria’s inability to produce enough rice.
Professor Mustapha further said the application of biotechnology tools to improve the quality of our local rice seeds will lead to a tremendous avalanche of wealth, job creation and a healthier environment.
Nitrogen deficiency and drought have cited as a key constraints to rice production in Africa and by extension in Nigeria. It has been ascertained that the production of rice alone is responsible for more than 15 per cent of fertilizer usage worldwide.
Also, Executive Director of NCRI, Dr Aliyu Umar said the project will contribute immensely to the economic growth of Nigeria while addressing certain key issues of environmental safety due to appropriate nitrogen fertilizer use.
“We hold this project on a high premium because of the numerous advantages accruing from it, and we know that most of the farmers are poor and they are not able to meet up the cost of the inputs. This project will greatly enhance the rice revolution which is taking place currently in the country,” he said
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