Birds pose major challenge to rice production in Edo

Bola Ijeoma is a rice farmer in Edo State and she is the Treasurer Edo South Rice Farmers Association. She said rice farmers in Edo State are capable of feeding the state if they are able to curtail birds that are eating up their crops.

Ijeoma, who has been farming rice since 2017, said the challenge of birds is depriving rice farmers of expected yield from their rice farms in the state.

She said, “our major challenges for now is birds eating our rice before and during harvest times and this has really become a big setback for us in rice farming.

“Every year, we still look for ways of controlling the birds and if we can keep them away from our farm, then, we would be capable of feeding Edo State with rice, but the birds are not giving us that opportunity.”

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She said aside from birds, the rice farmers were also faced with lack of funds to be able to cultivate more hectares and get more yields.

“We are trying to access loan from NIRSAL which they said is farmers loan but the interest rate is on the high side, it is 25 percent, so it is difficult for farmers to access such loan at that interest rate and make gains.”

How new farmer can get good yield

She however said a new comer into rice farming can still make good yield with good guardian and best agricultural practices, despite the challenges in the farming.

“For a new comer in rice farming, he needs to have a guardian who would guide him through to be able to succeed and have good yields.

“If you want to do one hectare of rice, you are supposed to have about N500,000 or N600,000 to be able to do one hectare well and expect good yield of between N800,000 and N850,000 or more within a space of four months.

“So, to get good yield, a farmer must follow good agricultural practices by planting and following the process diligently till harvest period.

“A rice farmer has to be timely in terms of weeding the farm if not, the weed will destroy the crop and the yield.

“So, you have to weed as at when due, apply the necessary insecticide and herbicide as well fertilizer when due. We now have inorganic and organic fertilizers, and whichever one you want to apply has to be timely too, to have good effect on the crop.

“In rice farming, we consider water and planting period because lack of water will not give you good yield and planting at the wrong period will not also give good yield.”

In rice planting, Ijeoma said, “After getting the land, you brush and after brushing, you fell the trees on the land because they will aid the birds in destroying the crops, and thereafter you use herbicide to kill the weed on the ground and then plant.”

She said before planting, one can apply herbicide so that after planting, it will take a space of two months before there could be problem of weeds, the rice must have grown far.

Ijeoma said successful rice planting depends on the environment, adding “In Edo South, we usually experience flood and because of that, we usually start planting early so that before we start having flood, we would be harvesting. We are harvesting now in our area.

“So, what we do is that we pre-plant in January because we have swampy areas where the soil still retains water. We plant some in January and others in February depending on the soil.

“But in the North, some of them just started planting because they are getting rain now; which is why I said planting depends on the environment. In Edo here, we plant early so that before August, we are done with harvesting.”

She however said that it usually takes four months period to plant and harvest rice.

Inputs don’t reach farmers on time

On inputs, Ijeoma said they get from the governments but the problem is that the inputs don’t come on time.

“They usually give us input at the wrong time. Some of us are already harvesting now and they just gave us inputs such as rice and fertilizers last week.

“I am a beneficiary and I’m thinking of where to plant it now because the more you delay the inputs “paddy rice”, the lesser yield you get.

“Government should give inputs to farmers on time and through the right channel because most of the inputs don’t get to the real farmers.”

She advised the government to use the farmer clusters head to distribute the inputs so that they can get to the real farmers.

She however adviced the government to always give farmers inputs on time so that they can make good use of them, especially during planting season in order to get the full benefits.

“They should also help farmers to access loan to grow their farms by reduce the stringent measure for assessing loan as well as reduced the interest rate. It is difficult for farmers to access loan at 25 percent interest rate and still make gains.”

She called on farmers to have passion for whatever they are doing because they will experience set back and failure but with passion, they would be able to succeed.