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As part of efforts to boost the Federal Government’s investments toward enhancing the productivity of local rice farmers and ensure Nigerians continue to enjoy the staple meal, WACOT Limited, makers of the premium Big Bull rice brand has expressed its commitment to support Nigerian rice farmers.
The company said that any thought of making rice readily available to families would certainly not be in the kitchen or the local market, but must begins on the rice farm!
“While helping to bring our favourite rice recipes to life, rice farmers play a significant role in sustaining food security. However, this has not come without challenges some of which include poor land tenure system, low level of irrigation farming, poor distribution of inputs, limited training & financing, high post-harvest losses and poor access to markets.” it said
The company said it was against this backdrop that it has embarked on a mission to solve the myriad of challenges local rice farmers encounter.
WACOT Limited, an indigenous rice producing company, and brand owners of Premium Big Bull Rice, said it has developed beneficial partnerships with some local rice farmers across several states in Nigeria. The partnerships involve identifying the specific needs of the local rice farmer wherever they may reside and empowering them to increase productivity, improve their economic wellbeing and guarantee food security.
According to Nigeria’s Central Bank Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, local rice production in the country rose to 9 million metric tonnes in 2021 from about 5.4 million metric tonnes in 2015, making local rice farmers even more integral to sustaining food security.
WACOT Limited is supporting local rice farmers by providing training in several communities to enable them gain hands-on experience in modern and improved rice farming techniques. This is in addition to providing credit and exposing them to efficient harvesting methods using the most up-to-date agricultural practices to ensure maximum output, improve yield as well as derive high return on investment.
Bello Musa, a rice farmer in Rafin Malam, highlighted his challenges which included low yield per hectare, lack of access to credit facilities and low exposure to modern rice farming practices. He commended the initiative by WACOT Limited which in the past six years have equipped him and others with knowledge through training on modern rice farming techniques as well as access to credit.
“The training offered by WACOT Limited has dramatically transformed my farming practice thus resulting in a boost in my yield. By also providing access to credit, WACOT Limited has solved over 50per cent of our problems because this has enabled us secure viable inputs such as seeds and equipment needed to run a successful farm. My business is more profitable because of this partnership” Musa stated
Dan Tonka Buga, a rice farmer, also stated that before the intervention by WACOT Limited, access to credit to enable her to expand her rice farm was a major problem. The five-year partnership with WACOT Limited has been rewarding as the initiative has enabled her to expand from one-hectare farmland to 2.5 hectares.
