RICE

ESTIMATED YIELD PER HECTARE

3-6 tons per hectare

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Rain season

Land clearing: #15,000
Ploughing: #20,000
Harrowing: #20,000
Seeds: #15,000
Fertilizer 1st Application(NPK): #48,000
Fertilizer 2nd Application(Urea): #46,000
Channel: 30,000
Fertilizer 3rd Application(Urea-3 bags): #34,500
Herbicide 5 bottles at 2,200: 11,000
Labour and Miscellaneous: #20,000
Total: 259,500.
Price per Hectare = #648,750

Dry Season

Land clearing: #20,000
Ploughing: #20,000
Harrowing: #20,000
Seeds: #15,000
Fertilizer 1st Application(NPK): #48,000
Fertilizer 2nd Application(6 bags Urea): #69,000
Channel: 30,000
Fertilizer 3rd Application(Urea-4 bags): #46,000
Herbicide 6 bottles at 2,200: 13,200
Labour and Miscellaneous: #20,000
water pump: #45,000
Petrol/Labour: #72,500
Total: 418,200.
Price Per Hectare = #1,045,500

HOW BIG DO RICE PLANTS GROW

The cultivated rice plant grows to about 1.2 meters (4 feet) in height. It is an annual grass. The panicle, or inflorescence (flower cluster), is made of spikelets bearing flowers that produce the fruit or grain. Varieties differ greatly in the length, shape, and weight of the panicle and the overall productivity of a given plant.

RICE VARIETIES NIGERIA.

Two types of rice have been mainly cultivated in Nigeria: the African rice (Oryza glaberrima) and the Asian rice (Oryza sativa). But there are other varieties which include; Nkeki Kamai, Lucky Omoigui., Alpha Yaya Kamara. Faro 44 (also known as SIPI) is also one of the popular rice varieties in Nigeria. It is well known for its high yielding and good milling quality. Another not too popular variety is Ofada rice. It is also called Unpolished rice as it is rice in it’s natural state and without genetic modification. It is very healthy and much healthier than white rice and is identified as Brown rice. We also have the Abakaliki rice, grown in the states of Abakaliki and Ebonyi in eastern Nigeria, cultivated thrice a year and it is known to be sweet and easy to cook

PEST THAT AFFECT RICE

One of the known pest that affect Nigerian rice is the Stem borers. Stem borers as a group are considered one of the most important economic field insect pests of rice in Nigeria. They are in fact a major problem in almost all the rice growing countries of Africa. They are primarily from two insect orders: Lepidoptera (Noctuidae and Pyralidae) and Diptera (Diopsis spp. And Pachylophus). Other pests include Rice caseworm, Stalk-eyed fly, Hispa, Whorl maggot, Lead folder, Rice bug, Armyworm, Termites.

SOME KNOWN DISEASES THAT AFFECT RICE

The diseases known to affect Rice are based on Bacterial, Fungi and Virus. The diseases include; Bacterial blight, Bacterial leaf streak, (Bacterial), Blast (leaf and collar-fungi), Brown spot, False smut., Rice grassy stunt, Rice ragged stunt, Black horse riding, Downy mildew, Eyespot, Sheth blight and sheath-rot(fungi). Lef scald, Rice black-streaked dwarf , Rice bunchy stunt virus Rice dwarf virus Rice gall dwarf virus, Rice hoja blanca tenuivirus, Rice necrosis mosaic virus, Rice ragged stunt virus, Rice transitory yellowing virus, Rice tungro Rice tungro (virus). All these diseases threatened rice production in the humid tropics where agronomic practices have been improved to induce dense crop stands and succulent plants most especially the Rice blast caused by fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, is generally considered the most important disease of rice worldwide because of its extensive distribution and destructiveness under favourable conditions

DURATION OF RICE

It is not doubt that one can give a huge assurance of the profitability of rice farming in Nigeria. Actually the duration varies from each varieties to another for short duration varieties, it will take 100−120 days, for medium duration it will take 120−140 days, and for long duration it will take 160 days or more. However, most varieties take 60−65 days from panicle initiation to harvest.

HOW TO PLANT RICE

Firstly, you must get a good quality of seed of the desired that you can get your expected and desirable result; this is because no amount of land preparation or fertilizer application can make a bad seed good.
Choose a planting site: Clay or clay loamy soils are most suited for rice cultivation because soils with good water retention capacity with a high amount of clay and organic matter are ideal for rice cultivation.
Land preparation: Moist the land area; this can be achieved by irrigation or by rainfall. This is to soften the soil and also prevent unwanted weeds from growing.
Plough the land: the purpose of ploughing the land is to soften the earth so that there can be proper root penetration of the soil for proper uptake of nutrients.
Harrowing: is breaking the bowl of the earth formed up during ploughing. It is done to smoothen the soil. This can be done twice to achieve a better result.
Level the land; the purpose of this is to achieve proper distribution of water in all parts of the field. It should be done by a leveler.
Planting Operations: Planting can be done in two ways: Transplanting pregrown seedlings in seedbeds and Direct seeding which involves pre germination of the seeds i.e. complete submersion of seed inside water for 24hours then incubates the seeds for another 24hours. Then broadcast the seed on the field evenly. Drain the field; this should be done from 0-9 days after sowing for good seed emergence.
Transplanting: Maintain around 2-3cm water depth to prevent soil hardening and aid seedling pulling. Then uprooting of seedlings should be done by holding the seedling close to the root and then pull towards oneself. The transplanting can be done manually and mechanically with seed spacing 20x20cm in the row and depth of 2-3cm.

FERTILIZER APPLICATION

Broadcast fertilizer evenly on the field to supply the nutrient needed by the rice to survive the early stage of growth. It should be noted that Top dressing is done between 35-55 days after planting. It provides Nitrogen, Potassium, Sulphur, Calcium, and Chlorine.
Weed Management: Weed can be controlled by spraying herbicides. Spraying can also be done before the plant to prevent the emergence of weed. Maintain around 2-3cm water depth throughout the planting period to prevent weed germination.
Harvesting: Harvest should be done when 80-85% percent of the grains (rice plants) have turned golden yellow color to avoid shattering. It could be done manually by using a sickle or mechanically using harvesters. Thresh immediately after harvest to avoid post-harvest losses. In conclusion, rice farming in Nigeria is still a gold catch and a booming business. Compare to perishable crops, rice has a very low record of post-harvest losses but commercial farmers and proper processing facilities should be encouraged more to increase locally produced rice that meets the global standard provide more jobs, and ultimately cater to the growing population