Bayelsa rolls out dry season farming program, targets one million metric tonnes of rice annually

By Odie Ramon, Yenagoa.

Bayelsa State has flagged off an expansive dry season farming program to boost agricultural productivity and ensure food security.

The program entails supporting farmers with the necessary inputs, offering technical assistance to ensure a successful farming season and harvest, as well as organizing training for farmers to enhance their skills and knowledge in areas such as soil preparation, irrigation, and post-harvest management.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources will also assist farmers in the state in embarking on aggressive rice, cassava, and plantain farming as well as other crops in the state had a comparative advantage.

Flagging off the 2024/2025  Dry Farming Season on Friday at the Ministry of Agriculture rice farm in Otuasega, Ogbia Local Government Area, Governor Douye Diri urged Bayelsans to key into his administration’s agricultural revolution to promote food security in the state.

He particularly charged government officials to engage in farming to complement the government’s effort towards ensuring that Bayelsa became a productive rather than a consuming economy.

The governor said in his first term, more than 400 youths were trained at the CSS Integrated Farms in Nasarawa State and another 200 recently trained at the same centre.

He equally stated that his administration recently completed the training of another 77 youths in soilless and greenhouse farming in Ogun State and assured that an additional 100 would be sent for training in January next year.

Governor Diri, however, expressed displeasure that despite the funds disbursed to each trainee after their CSS training, the state had yet to see any positive results.

He directed the Commissioner for Agriculture to ascertain the number of trainees that utilized the funds, stating that the government would no longer give out cash incentives to trainees.

He said: “All of us should engage in farming, including all appointees. It is a clarion call to own a farm no matter how small. We are prepared to support farmers to change the narrative and ensure food security. 

“The era of subsistence farming is over. Farming now is big business. That is why we are constructing roads to the hinterlands to help farmers transport their produce.

“l am aware that a lot of farmers benefitted from the Central Bank of Nigeria agricultural loan. Some of our CSS trainees benefitted from the loan and N300,000 was given to each trainee of the two batches.

“In each of the batches, not less than 200 persons were trained. But we are yet to see what came out of those who received the money. The records are there.

“So, I have directed the Commissioner for Agriculture that we will no longer give cash to any trainee because it appears not to be the solution. Rather, we will encourage them and other farmers to take advantage of the various agricultural loan schemes and repay whatever is obtained.”

In his remarks, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Prof. Beke Sese, said this farming season, the government would cultivate about 208 hectares of rice farms at Amassoma (100 hectares), Otuasega (30 hectares), School-To-Land in Yenagoa (10 hectares) and 50 hectares at the Niger Delta University.

“It is estimated that these rice farms will yield up to 16,640 bags of rice paddies that can give up to 8,320 bags of 50kg milled rice after the next harvest.

“We still have other locations for expansion of rice farming at Isampou (4,500 hectares) and Peremabiri (2,500 hectares), both of which can produce 560,000 bags of rice paddies that can give up to 280,000 bags of 50kg milled rice. One of the major target milestones in the Bayelsa Agriculture Prosperity Plan is one million tonnes of rice production per year and the attainment of 100 percent processing of rice in the state.”

See further stated that the ministry was collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, international development partners, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector.

“We are also working with international partners, including France, South Korea, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to bring in global best practices and investments in our agricultural sector. These partnerships are already yielding positive results and we are confident that the impact will be far-reaching.”

Speaking on behalf of trainees of the third batch at the CSS Farms, Miss Rhoda Enabogha said they underwent two weeks of intensive agricultural training in livestock management and fisheries, among others, and thanked Governor Diri for giving them the opportunity.

A representative of the Nigerian Women In Agriculture (NIWA), Ebimotimi Leghemo, said they were mobilizing women to go into cluster farming across communities in the eight local government areas to increase food production.