Step by Step Rice Production in Nigeria

Lifestyle | Published on May 24, 2022

By Iyorkaa Nater

Site selection

Rice can be grown in two main areas:

Lowland areas: These are lowlands on the edges of flooded fadamas (inland valleys) and irrigation schemes where water is available for 4½ to 5 months. In some areas, water may be available for more than 5 months.
Upland areas: These are areas with good soil and rainfall of over 700 mm. Select fertile land.

Recommended rice varieties and their Characteristics in the Table below

Variety	Adaptation	Potential yield (t/ha)	Days to maturity	Ligule type/ length
FARO 44	Shallow Swamp	7	95–110	Long grain
FARO 52	Shallow Swamp	6	125–135	Long grain
FARO 61	Shallow Swamp	5	100–115	Long grain
FARO 59	Rain-fed Upland	3	95–100	Intermediate
GAWAL R1	Rain-fed Upland	10	90–95	Long grain

Land preparation

Proper land preparation is necessary for rice production to minimize competition with weeds. Two harrowings provide sufficient tilth for rice growth. Ridging is not necessary and is often a waste of space. In places where the soils are more fragile and prone to erosion, minimum or zero tillage is recommended. Where zero tillage is to be adopted, the field should be sprayed with glyphosate at the rate of 4 L/ha to kill emerged weeds. About 10 days after spraying the glyphosate, slash or mow the dead weeds.

Seed rate

It is advisable to use good quality seed from a reliable source for sowing. If the farmers plan to use their own seed, it is important to first sort out unfilled grains before sowing to enhance good germination. Lowland rice: Use 50–60 kg/ ha of seed. Upland rice: About 40–50 kg of seed is required to plant a hectare when sowing is conducted by dibbling.

Time of sowing

The time for sowing rice depends on the available kind of land, whether it is lowland or upland and on the agro ecology where the farm is situated. The recommended time for sowing rice in Northern Nigeria is indicated in Table 2. The actual timing of sowing should, however, be adjusted in accordance with the time of the establishment of the rains.

Time of planting rice in Northern Nigeria

Ecology	Time of planting
Southern Guinea savanna	Between weeks 1 and 2 in June
Northern Guinea savanna	Between weeks 1 and 2 in June
Sudan savanna	Between weeks 3 and 4 in June

Spacing

Lowland rice: Sow rice seeds by drilling in rows at spacing of 20 cm or 30 cm apart. For transplanting method, transplant seedlings at a rate of 2–3 seedlings per hill, to a depth of 3–4 cm, and at a spacing of 30 × 30 cm (best for late-maturing cultivars), or 20 × 20 cm when soil is fertile or sufficient fertilizer is available.
Upland rice: Dibble 5–6 seeds at a spacing of 20 × 20 cm or 30 × 30 cm and later thin to 3 to 4 seedlings per stand at 2 to 3 weeks after sowing.

Fertilizer Application

Lowland rice: Apply about 4 bags of NPK 15: 15:15 applied at sowing and about 2 to 3 bags of urea applied at 6‒8 weeks after sowing.
Upland rice: Apply about 4 bags of NPK 15:15:15 applied at sowing. Incorporate (bury) the fertilizer in the soil properly to avoid losses. The second dose of about 2 to 3 bags of urea fertilizer should be applied at 6–7 weeks after sowing.

Manual weed control

Weeding should be carried out twice, at 2–3 weeks and 5–6 weeks after sowing. Pull out weeds by hand or with a small hand hoe; heap the weeds outside the field.

Chemical weed control

It is important to note that special skills are required in handling and using herbicides to ensure effectiveness and to avoid poisoning the user. Read and follow the instructions on the product label before using any herbicide. It is important to note that herbicides will not be effective if land preparation is poorly done. Non

Recommended herbicides for upland and lowland rice production

Treatment

formulation

Commercial

name

Rate

Time of

application

Remarks

Pendimethalin

(455 g/L)

Stomp CS

2.53 L/ha

Pre-emergence

Apply within 2−3 days of

planting (for upland and lowland rice). For annual grass

and small-seeded broadleaf weed control.

Propanil + 2,4-D

amine (360+200

g/L) EC

Vespanil plus

1.25−2.5

L/ha

Post-emergence

Applied at 1‒4 leaf weed

stage, irrespective of the stage

of the rice or 14‒21 days after

seeding or transplanting.

Selective to rice with broad spectrum

weed control.

Pest and disease control

Pests: The major pests of rice are borers and army-worms

Control: Some of the measures recommended for the control include the use of resistant varieties

Diseases: The major pests of rice are Brown leaf spot and Blast

Control: Some of the measures recommended for the control include the use of resistant varieties

Harvesting

Rice is fully mature for harvesting when 80–85% of the grains are straw color. To harvest, cut the rice stems with a sickle at about 10–15 cm above the ground.

Threshing and winnowing

Thresh on hard surfaces by beating the grains out from the ears. Winnow to separate the chaff and empty grains from the well-filled mature grains. Dry the paddy to a safe moisture level of between 12 and 14% before storing. Freshly harvested paddy does not store well under high temperatures.