South-West smallholder farmers receive certified rice seeds from FG

THE Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, has distributed certified rice seeds to smallholder farmers in the southwest region.

The distribution exercise, which was held in Ibadan, Oyo State, recently, had clusters of smallholder rice farmers from Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti States as beneficiaries.

In his address, the Director of Agriculture, Mr Abdullah Abubakar, represented by Mr Dauda Ayeleke of the Rice Value Chain unit, urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the input to increase rice productivity in order to enhance their livelihoods.

Abubakar noted that Nigeria, being the highest rice-producing country in Africa, must sustain its production level and increase to achieve desired self-sufficiency target in food production.

“The objective of the support is to enable the farmers to have access to certified seeds of good quality and high-yielding rice varieties for the 2023 cropping season to help them recover from losses suffered during the 2022 cropping seasons. The intervention is primarily to increase rice production across the country in order to reduce the cost of rice in the markets.

“The distribution is in collaboration with the state Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) of the various states that will monitor the farmers for effective utilisation in order to achieve the desired result,” Abubakar said.

Some of the beneficiaries commended the Federal Government for the timely and thoughtful intervention for rice farmers.

The Lagos Chairman, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, (RIFAN), Mr Rapheal Hunsa, appreciated the government for the provision of seeds and prioritising agriculture.

“If this could continue there would be food sufficiency and not only rice, we need chemicals and fertilisers to boost our plants. Anything the government wants to give us should come in from March before the rainy season begins,” he said.

Also, Alhaji Kamorudeen Sokunbi, Future Builders Young Farmers Rice Association from Ifo, Ogun State said the government had done well but should also complement it with other inputs.

“The major problem we have in rice farming is mechanisation. We need equipment such as tractors and planters to enhance our production,” Sokunbi said.

Others, including Pastor Johnson Oyibo from Ifesowapo in Ogooluwa Local Government Area and Mr Jimoh Akanbi from Surulere Local Government Area, Oyo State, lauded the intervention from the government describing it as timely.

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