Rice Production: Pre-Planting Activities

This post by Nextech Agri Solutions aims to provide practical knowledge necessary for small-scale farmers entering the rice production business. Beginning with the pre-planting activities, this post will cover the rice varieties to choose from, information on seed quality, crop calendar and land preparation.

This post by Nextech Agri Solutions aims to provide practical knowledge necessary for small-scale farmers entering the rice production business. Beginning with the pre-planting activities, this post will cover the rice varieties to choose from, information on seed quality, crop calendar and land preparation.

These are 4 of the most important activities before the rice planting, and needs to be taken care of if one anticipates a high, prosperous yield.

1. Selecting the rice variety

It’s fairly important to begin with healthy seeds of a locally adapted rice variety. This ensures that the crop has a high yield and attracts good market price, and is also cheaper than importing high-potential varieties from other countries.

Mentioned below are the characteristic features a good rice variety must possess:
– Appreciable cooking characteristics, colour, aroma, taste and shape
– High selling price
– Stability
– Optimum yield over multiple seasons
– High tillering capability for competing against weed
– Tolerance against crop diseases and pests
– Resistance to droughts and floods
– Exact maturity length that matches the growing season

2. Seed quality

The crop quality entirely depends on the seeds sown. Since seeds are the foundation of any crop, it becomes pivotal that one ensures that the seeds utilized are of optimal quality.

Good quality seeds ensure the following benefits:
– Increased uniformity
– Less replanting
– Lower seed rate
– Better emergence (greater than 70%)
– High initial growth
– Increased resistance against pests, insects and diseases
– Decreased weed
– Increased yield

The following factors are used to determine the quality of rice:
– Varietal purity: It involves the percentage of germination, moisture content, weed, other crop seeds, stones and red rice seeds.
– Viability: Germination potential, moisture level and vigour are used to determine the seed viability.

The germination rate is indicative of seed vigor. A swift rate of germination shows that the seed will establish itself well in the field stage. Weaker seeds are easily affected by environmental stress and are known to produce weaker seedlings.
– Moisture Content: As such, moisture content should be less than 14%

3. Crop Calendar

Crop calendar provides for a reliable framework for all the subsequent farming activities.
It provides a clear schedule from seed sowing to storage and allows the farmers to:
– Decide the input purchase
– Prepare a budget for all the activities
– Determine labour, capital and credit requirement
– Prepare land and harvest

Based on local experience and with the help of agricultural promoters, determine the best date to plant. Determine the time it takes for your chosen variety to harvest. Establish the labour and finance requirements at each of the subsequent steps, i.e. plowing, weeding, fertilizing, etc.

4. Land Preparation

This is the final step before we begin with the planting. It is an important step which helps control weeds, recycles plant nutrients and provides for a sustainable surface and soil mass for direct seeding.

As such, land preparation either begins during fallow, i.e. the period wherein a field is left uncultivated so it regains its fertility, or immediately after the previous harvest. Moreover, it usually takes around a month for complete land preparation.

It typically involves 3 different stages which are:
– Clearing the field
– Creating compost from rice residues
– Planting cover crops to enrich soil and suppress weeds

 

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Nigerian Federal Government all set to install 110 Rice Milling Machines

The Federal Government of Nigeria recently acquired 110 rice milling machines, which, if everything goes as per the set plans, would be installed in different parts of the country. The installation process is expected to continue until the end of July, and is aimed to boost the dwindling production of rice in the country.

The Federal Government of Nigeria recently acquired 110 rice milling machines, which, if everything goes as per the set plans, would be installed in different parts of the country. The installation process is expected to continue until the end of July, and is aimed to boost the dwindling production of rice in the country.

This development was confirmed by Malam Garba Shehu, who is the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Buhari, on his Facebook page, in Abuja.

Shehu, the president’s spokesperson stirred a national debate with his claim of Nigeria being the second largest producer of rice. Following a rice revolution that commenced in 2016, Nigeria achieved the position for being the second largest rice producer in the world.

Quoting an investigative media report, Shehu also remarked that 48,000 millionaires emerged in the state of Kebbi alone, for growing rice.

Shehu also claimed that over-reliance on oil has destroyed the country and that they are not in a position to continue. And the diversification of economy aims at distributing money across ordinary Nigerian citizens, ultimately leading to widespread prosperity across the whole country.

The president’s aide wants the country to be proud of the country’s ongoing agricultural revolution.

However, he also stated that the officials of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture are going to come up with latest development on Nigeria’s rice production.

Mr. Shehu’s Facebook post further read ‘’we’re not the first to say that Nigeria has reached second position in the world in terms of rice production. CNN, with their global reach also said the same thing. CNN is not a frivolous source and there’s reason to believe them.’’

“While the country waits for the actual numbers to come from the Food and Agricultural Organization, the government will be collating their own figures. Nigeria has been feeding a lot of parts from the north, west and central Africa since the last October and most of them have been shopping for millet, sesame, rice and sorghum in Nigeria.”

“In order to support the booming rice industry, the Federal Government acquired 110 rice milling machines. A lot is happening in the country and all of us should be proud of it”.

To keep yourself updated on news, events and the latest developments in the world of agricultural processing and engineering, keep following Nextech’s blogs.

 

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Olam Engages Local Communities for the Rice Harvest

One of the leading agri-businesses, Olam International operates from seed to shelf in more than 60 countries, providing food and raw materials to over 23,000 customers worldwide. With their global rice supply chain and immense market strength, they have successfully linked their rice farms and smallholder farmers to clients in all the major rice consuming country.

One of the leading agri-businesses, Olam International operates from seed to shelf in more than 60 countries, providing food and raw materials to over 23,000 customers worldwide. With their global rice supply chain and immense market strength, they have successfully linked their rice farms and smallholder farmers to clients in all the major rice consuming countries.

A producer of renowned Mama’s Pride and Chef’s Choice Rice, Olam International has started harvest in its dry season rice farming season. For the process of harvesting, a total of 11 combined harvesters and a splitter harvest machine were deployed. “The high-tech machineries couldn’t, however, stop the farms from involving more than 600 seasonal farmers from the host communities from participating in the farming process”, Mr. Pieter Nel said.

According to the farm officers, the dry season farm comprises of 3,000 hectares, out of the total of 12,920 hectares. The dry season rice farm is expected to yield up to 4.5 tons of rice per hectare, which is more than 300% of the national yield, which sits between 1.3-1.8 tons per hectare. The high yield can be accredited to Olam International for involving some of the best farming practices, including but not limited to the increased soil standards to meet rice varieties. As Nel told, it was done following a series of laboratory tests on different soils. Other practices involved aircrafts for seedlings, spraying effective pesticides and applying quality fertilizers.

Mark Mclean, who’s appointed as the farm manager told that 1,400 hectares would be added to the 3,000 already being used. The additional land would be utilized for the forthcoming rain-fed season. Mclean also stated that over 100 rice varieties with high yields are being studied with a view to adopt them. Currently, only 4 high yielding varieties are planted, namely L34, C90, C20 and Faro 44.

Laying importance on safety and quality, Madan Singh, the Director of quality assurance informed how the company conducts relevant analysis to ensure the rice meets the nutritional value and is safe and does not use chemicals indiscriminately during production.

Abubakar Ogashuwa, the company’s Community Relations Manager, mentioned that the farms have created access roads that have been instrumental in linking the farms to six host communities surrounding them, provided them with solar power, introduced scholarship for the students, constructed classrooms with school compounds and built boreholes for each of the 6 communities.

He further mentioned how the Olam farm is in constant talks with the herders and nomads around to avoid complications arising out of their animals invading the farms.

Read through our other blogs to stay updated on the latest news and events in the rice industry.

 

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Rice Parts

Rice, as we all know is one of the major crops all around the world. The crop is highly nutritious and can be easily grown in all the corners of the globe. Rice primarily has three edible parts – the germ, the bran and the endosperm. After the process of rice milling, all the rice looks almost the same

Rice, as we all know is one of the major crops all around the world. The crop is highly nutritious and can be easily grown in all corners of the globe. Rice primarily has three edible parts – the germ, the bran, and the endosperm. After the process of rice milling, all the rice looks almost the same( i.e. white in color. But at the time of harvesting, rice is of many different kinds.

Let us have a look:

Long Grain Brown Rice:
Long grain rice, as the name suggests, has a long kernel. This kernel is much longer in length than its width. These grains are light and isolated.

Sweet Brown Rice:
Sweet brown rice is also short and plumy like short grain brown rice. Though these tend to lose their shape upon cooking.

Short Grain Brown Rice:
Short grains are short, round, and the same in length and width. These also get soft on cooking.

Medium Grain Brown Rice:
Medium grain brown rice is wider and shorter in length when compared to long-grain brown rice. Cooked rice gets moist and slight. This type of rice sticks together longer.

Brown Basmati Rice:
Basmati rice is an aromatic form of long grain rice that is heavily consumed across India.

Himalayan Red Rice:
This type of rice is reddish on the outer side with a red bran layer on it. The bran layer adds to the taste of this rice.

There are numerous types of rice harvested in India throughout the country.

 

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