Taking this concept of regional development a little further, is there any reason why the South South Governors Forum does not launch an unprecedented lowland rice production programme

Ayo Akinfe

[1] Are Nigerians aware of the fact that the bulk of the rice we consume in the world today is grown in delta regions. Worldwide, about 80m hectares of irrigated lowland rice is cultivated, accounting for 75% of global output

[2] Across Asia, irrigated rice is grown in bunded fields or paddies, which are surrounded by small embankments that keep the water in. Our Niger Delta is tailor-made for this kind of rice production

[3] Rainfed lowland rice is grown in river deltas and coastal areas, using bunded fields that are flooded with rainwater for at least part of the cropping season. Rainfed lowland rice predominates in areas of greatest poverty like South Asia and Southeast Asia

[4] Vietnam’s Mekong Delta produces about 20m tonnes of rice. It is made up of 17,000 square miles while our Niger Delta is made up of 27,000 square miles. I swear, shame no dey catch us for Nigeria one kobo

[5] In India and Bangladesh, the Ganges–Brahmaputra Delta produces the bulk of their rice. It is really only Basmati rice that is grown upland at the foot of the Himalayas

[6] In Pakistan, the Indus Delta produces virtually all their rice. Pakistan is desperately trying to catch up with the likes of China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma, The Philippines, etc in terms of rice production. It is time Nigeria joined this race

[7] In Thailand, the Chao Phraya River Delta accounts for their rice production with an annual crop of about 30m tonnes

[8] Nigeria only produces about 4m tonnes of rice, which is way below our domestic consumption figure of 7m tonnes. Very little of this is lowland rice grown in the Niger Delta

[9] Our south-south governors have got to stop hiding behind oil pollution because less than 10% of the Niger Delta is polluted by oil spills. It is only really Ogoniland that cannot sustain lowland rice at the moment. There is absolutely nothing stopping us growing say 20m tonnes of rice across Ijawland today

[10] I challenge the Niger Delta governors to explain to us why they have not established industrial rice plantations and sought to woo major growers. They should be like building industrial parks and wooing manufacturers tp process this rice. Between them, the coastal areas of Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta and Ondo states should easily match say Burma’s rice crop of 13m tonnes

ayoakinfe@gmail.com