ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF SWAMP RICE PRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction

Swamp rice (SR) is a major food crop of the world by virtue of the extent and variety of uses and its adaptability to a broad range of climatic, edaphic and cultural conditions. It is grown under shallow flood or wet paddy conditions. Swamp production is concentrated in areas where management is convenient on flat lowlands, river basins and delta areas. The crop flourishes well in humid regions of the sub tropic and temperate climates. About 90% of the world’s swamp rice is produced in tropical, semitropical areas and consumed where it is grown by small-scale farmers in low-income developing countries (Food and Agriculture Organization, (FAO) 2008).

Swamp rice is cultivated in virtually all the agro-ecological zones in Nigeria (Akande,2001). According to Damola (2010), swamp rice is relatively easy to produce and is grown for sale and for home consumption. In some areas there is a long tradition of SR growing, but for many, swamp rice has been considered a luxury food for special occasions only. With the increased availability of rice, swamp rice has become part of the everyday diet of many in Nigeria.

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitation of the study and Definition of technical terms.

1.2 Background of the Study

Over the years, rice has become a staple food for the urban poor in Nigeria and is no longer considered a luxury item. The report goes on to say that rice accounts for a significant portion of cash spent on cereals because the poorest urban households get 33% of their calories from cereal from rice. Oryza glaberrima and Oryza sativa are the two main rice species that are commonly cultivated; 60% of the rice land in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is in Nigeria and Madagacar (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), 2006). At 3.2 million tons of paddy (or 2 million tons of milled rice) produced on average per year, Nigeria is currently the largest producer of rice in West Africa (Damola, 2010).

National Cereal Research Institute (NCRI) (2008) identifies three (3) prevalent types of swamp rice production systems in Nigeria viz rainfed lowland SR, rainfed SR and irrigated swamp rice production systems. Rainfed lowland SR production system (RLSPS): accounts for about 48% of Nigerian’s rice area. It is very common in the South Eastern part of Nigeria such as Enugu, Ebonyi etc. The rice yield is generally high and ranges from 2-8 tons/ha and it is also estimated to contribute about 53% to national rice production source (Atala, 2009) Rainfed SR production system (RSRPS): accounts for 30% of the total rice production area with more than 1.30mm of annual rainfall. It is predominant in the southern part of Nigeria and mostly found in the flooded river valleys, which accounts for about half of total rice areas and has an average yield of 2.2 tonnes (Akpokodji, Lancon and Erenstein, 2009). Irrigated swam price production system (ISPS) which is the most recently developed rice environment in Nigeria is common in the Northern and Southern part of Nigeria. Irrigation is supplied from rivers, wells, bore holes among others to supplement the rain for full rice crop growth. It contributes about 16% of cultivated rice land and yields range from 2-8 ton/ha thus accounting for 27% of national rice supply. (Saka, 2010). Other less common rice production systems include the deep water (floating rice) (Deep water swamp rice production system) which constitutes about 5% of the national rice production area. The yields are very low due to the predominant use of unimproved rice variety (Oglaberrima steud), which yields less than 1 ton /ha. It accounts for about 3% of the national rice output. Also, the tidal (mangrove) swamp rice (TSPS) which lies between the coastline and freshwater swamps has potential for one million hectares of cultivable rice area but at present contributes less than 2% to national rice production with low rice yields of only about 1 ton/ha. (FAO, 2009).

Consequently, rice production technologies have been developed for swamp rice farmers, but these technologies have not been fully utilized by the farmers. Such rice production technologies include: use of appropriate seed/ seedling varieties such as Nerica, Faro 44, 43 etc, use of appropriate seed rate such as 30 – 40kg seed per hectare, use of pre and post emergence herbicides, land preparation technologies such as ploughing and harrowing, time of planting, appropriate spacing, pest and disease control etc. (FAN, 2007).

Nigeria is the largest swamp rice producing country in West African region and swamp rice production increased gradually over the years with area expansion to surpass major rice producing countries like Cote d’voire and Sierra Leone (WARDA, 2004) Unfortunately, the increase in demand in recent times has not been accompanied with a corresponding rise in production. This is attributed to wide spread poverty, dominance of the nation’s agriculture by small holders, the use of relatively primitive tools for farm operations lack of exposure to improved agricultural technologies (improved seeds, fertilizers, pesticides etc) and inadequate farm mechanization aids by government (Damola, 2010).

According to Sule, Ogunwale and Atala (2006) necessarily entails shifting away from the drudgery of age-long use of traditional methods to the ‘utilization of modern production techniques so as to accomplish self-sufficiency in food production and improvement of life in the rural areas. It has long been recognized by experts in this field that the only way to significantly increase the productivity of the small-scale farmers in developing countries is to improve the farmer’s technological capabilities. Technology may therefore be defined as the specialized knowledge, skills, methods and techniques required for production and distribution of goods and services. Agricultural technology can also be embodied in people, tools, crop varieties, agricultural practice, and processing equipment. Technology according to Ayoola (2001) includes the totality of how the society performs particular activities. Specifically, therefore, agricultural technology consists of the nature and types of available inputs (for example, seeds, fertilizer, chemicals, tools, machines, farm power e t c.) and the way in which these inputs are combined (for example, land fertilizer ratio, labour-machine ratio). Recent studies have shown that SR production technologies have not been able to meet the increasing demand for rice (FAO, 2002).

In the West African sub region, Nigeria has experienced a well-established growing demand for rice caused by rising per capita consumption and consequently the insufficient domestic production had to be complemented with enormous import both in quantity and value at various times (Saka and Lawal, 2009). According to the United State Agency for International Development (USAID) (2010), Nigeria’s rice sub sector is dominated by weak and insufficient producer-market linkage due to poor infrastructure and limited efficiency of distribution network which has resulted to low productivity and participation of farmers in the rice field. In order to reduce the rate of rice importation, Saka and Lawal (2009) were of the opinion that disseminating improved varieties and other modern inputs as a composite package to rice farmers is very important. Nwite Igwe and Wakatsuki (2008) indicated that the adoption of rice production technologies should lead to substantial yield increase in rice production. However, this invariably underscores the important role technology stands to play in attaining the much-needed growth in the rice sub sector. Kebede (2001) indicated that growth in production can be gained through the use of technologies and allocative efficiencies of farmers in response to the changing techniques and production environment. Hence, adoption of technologies should lead to substantial yield increase.

1.3 Statement of the Problem

According to research, the primary issue facing the developing world today is not a lack of scientific advancements and technologies required for economic growth and rural transformation, but rather how to use them as tools for social and economic change (Torimiro, Adedoyin, and Ala, 2000). This is especially significant when one considers that disparities in the degree of technological development, transfer, and utilization account for a large portion of the gap between developed and developing countries. Despite the rapid advancements in agricultural technology, poor farming persists, characterized by low productivity, local seeds and planting materials, and poor farming tools (Ekpe and Obeten, 2007).

Small land holdings are the site of much of the world's intensive food production. Put another way, billions of people rely primarily on resource-poor farmers to provide food, and this situation is expected to persist for decades or even centuries. Therefore, if yield were raised on each hectare, there would be a huge potential for increased food production. Even though swamp rice plays a major role in meeting the population's dietary needs, its output falls well short of the country's needs. The increase in rice import bills to as much as 160 million US dollars in 2008 was caused by the rise in domestic demand and consumption, which far outpaces local production (FAO, 2009).

1.4 Research Questions

The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:

• What are the swamp rice technologies available to the farmers?
• What is the level of use of existing swamp rice production technologies by the rice farmers?
• What are the perceived factors promoting the swamp rice production technologies?
• What are the constraints to the use of swamp rice production technologies?

1.5 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The main aim of this study is to determine the economic analysis of swamp rice production. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:

1. To identify the swamp rice production technologies available to the farmers.
2. To determine the level of use of available swamp rice production technologies by the respondents.
3. To identify perceived factors promoting the level of use of SR production technologies.
4. To identify perceived constraints to the use of SR production technologies available to the farmers.

1.6 Research Questions

The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:

• Are swamp rice production technologies available to the farmers?
• What is the level of use of available swamp rice production technologies by the respondents?
• What are the factors promoting swamp rice production?
• What are the constraints to the use of SR production technologies available to the farmers?

1.7 Research Hypotheses

In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.

Hypothesis One

• H0: There is no significant impact of swamp rice production technologies available to the farmers.
• H1: There is a significant impact of swamp rice production technologies available to the farmers.

Hypothesis Two

• H0: There is no significant impact of use of available swamp rice production technologies by the respondents.
• H1: There is a significant impact of use of available swamp rice production technologies by the respondents.

Hypothesis Three

• H0: There is no significant impact of factors promoting the level of use of SR production technologies.
• H1: There is a significant impact of factors promoting the level of use of SR production technologies.

1.7 Significance of the Study

The extent of swamp rice production in the area will be revealed by the result, which will be helpful to the extension agents in their future adoption studies. Through this study, policymakers will develop alternative strategies for improved rice production. Systems of public knowledge will be reinforced in order to strike a balance between encouraging private investment in research and protecting the environment.

This will stimulate cooperation between scientists and rice farmers in examining current production technologies and evaluating alternative agricultural methods. Other researchers who would like to work on a similar study could also benefit from the work.

1.8 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, there were some problems encountered which stood as limitations to the research work. Some of the limitations include:

1. Time Constraint:

   The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.

2. Financial Constraint:

   Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

3. Initial Cooperation Delay from Respondents:

   A particular limitation of this work came as a result of the respondent refusal to offer their cooperation at the initial time they were contacted. This contributed in making the success of this research study difficult.