Rice Farmers Laud World Bank, Nigerian Government Interventions

Rice Farmers have praised the Nigerian Government and the World Bank for interventions through the Agro Processing Productivity Enhancement And Livelihoods Support (APPEALS) project.

APPEALS is a six-year project developed by Nigeria’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with the World Bank to support the policy thrust on food security, export promotion and livelihood improvement.

Since the beginning of the project in which Cross River, alongside five other states like Enugu, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi and Lagos, is a pilot, nearly 9,000 beneficiaries including women and youths have received the intervention in rice, cocoa and poultry value chains.

A recent visit to two of the rice clusters at Idomi in Yakurr Local Government Area and Ekureku in Abi local government area of Cross River central district revealed that the farmers were neck deep into processing and marketing of their produce courtesy of the interventions received from APPEALS.

Enhanced livelihoods

The farmers disclosed that with the intervention there is increased yield, better grain quality, reduction in wastages, improved time management and increased income translating to better livelihoods for farmers and their families.

According to the chairman of the Idomi cluster rice value chain, Mr. Eni Ugobo said, “rice production before APPEALS intervention was cumbersome and output was low because we (farmers) engaged manual labourers, which were costly if they do not disappear after collecting advance payment. It was a very big problem.”

Ugobo continued: “When APPEALS project came, we started using the machines we got and the work is now done faster. What we used to accomplish in three days, we get done in just a day. Our rice is better packaged because we are able to destone it. As I speak to you, we have patronage from all over the state and outside.

“Also there is no more waste. Before now, the way we parboil rice resulted in huge wastage. However, with the intervention, the technique used eliminates waste and the paddy waste that is the bran, which were thrown away prior to APPEALS intervention, are now being used as ‘firewood’ for cooking. We also mill for other farmers from other villages at a fee and have enrolled our children in schools. Life is generally better now,” Ugobo stressed.

Higher profit

Also speaking, the cluster chairman of Ekureku-Anon One cluster in Abi local government area, Mr. Samuel Elemi attested to the benefit accrued to the farmers, who despite the recent flood, were engaged and delighted to remain in business at the mill.

Elemi, who noted that the cluster established Voda Rice Processing Factory, recalled, “business was very difficult; we could not break even. However, since the APPEALS intervention, farming and production with the introduction of a rice specie known as FARO 44 (a popular rice variety in Nigeria that gives a high yield, good milling quality, long grain ideal for lowlands and uplands, and to an extent resistant to disease) has upgraded.

“We used to harvest 37 bags per hectare now we harvest nearly 50 bags. Overall, the interest we share is much better now. It was not like before when we were collecting loans to repay at high interest rates. But, I can tell you confidently that we are upgrading,” he said.

They appealed to the Nigerian Government and the World Bank to provide additional support to enhance expansion, especially for those beneficiaries that were serious with the programme.

Similarly, the rice value chain facilitator in the Cross River APPEALS project, Mrs. Gloria Ogban affirmed that the essence of the intervention was to enhance the productivity of small and medium-scale farmers and improve value addition.

She said that the intervention was providing technical support, training the beneficiaries on how to effectively apply the machines to add value to the produce and create profitable linkages to markets.

Emmanuel Ukoh