Rice [ORYZA SATIVA] is a staple food eaten by many families in Nigeria. As at today statistic from the ministry of agriculture put the yearly consumption of rice in Nigeria at 7 million metric tons while production as at today is 4 million metric tons leaving a supply short fall of 3 million metric tons, the demand for rice is also expected to grow at the rate of 5% per annum. From the above figure it is obvious that Nigeria spends so much in importing rice to make up the short fall. As much as one billion dollars is spent yearly on this. It is proven that rice can grow in all the geographical zones of Nigeria depending on the variety.
The major inputs for commercial rice farming are; LAND, IMPROVED SEEDLING, TRAINING, FERTILISER, FINANCE and MARKET
LAND
There are many varieties of rice indigenous to Nigeria such as Fadama rice, Upland rice, Lowland rice and many others. For the purpose of this write up I will use Lowland rice.
Lowland Rice does best in fertile land with a moderately high water holding-capacity. Lands with clayey soils are most desirable. Procuring Land for such commercial farming has to be done by professionals who have the eagle eye to decode the soil texture without much examination. It is also easier to source for land for agriculture through professionals because they have extensive network and can arrange Land for you in short notice and in a cost effective manner. There is little need to purchase land for farming in large scale from the beginning as this will tie down available capital, thus it is advisable to lease and subsequently pay for the land from the proceed of the farm. BUSINESS ADVISORY NETWORK is a guru in this regard and will help you arrange choice farm land at the best rate all you have to do is to talk to us.
TRAINING
We will guide you on best planting season, spacing, water management, fertilizer type, how to source fertilizer, fertilizer application. Weed control, bird control, Harvesting, Drying Storage, milling and storage.
FINANCE
The central bank of Nigeria has a lot of incentives for commercial farmers with a reduced interest rate of 9% per annum. We will guide you on how to source this loan. We will also help in securing farming equipment.
MARKET
Demand for rice is high in Nigeria and the demand will continue to grow according to the ministry of agriculture on a 5% rate per annum and there is a wide gap in from demand and supply which is causing the country huge foreign exchange.
SECURITY
Security of the farm is of utmost importance, thus adequate security must be put in place to eliminate/ reduce pilferage in the farm.
RICE VALUE CHAIN
We will not only guide you on cassava farming. We will introduce you to cassava business value chain depending on your interest. Rice Bran, Rice Bran Oil, Rice Flour, Rice Hulls, Rice Starch, Ash from Hulls, Brewers Rice.
If you desirous of farming with minimal discomfort and also wants to stay out of other loss that might result due to lack of planning talk to us at BAN