The System of Rice Intensification (SRI-2030), in collaboration with Propcom Plus, has trained rice farmers in Kano State on modern transplanting techniques to enhance productivity and reduce labour costs.
The Consultant and Master Trainer, SRI-2030 Nigeria, Abdul-Rahman Danbaba, stated this during a training and demonstration on machine transplanting methods in Katarkawa community of Warawa Local Government Area of Kano on Friday.
He explained that the initiative was part of efforts to scale up SRI practices across Nigeria through partnerships with rice millers and other stakeholders.
Danbaba said the farmers were also provided with reference materials in Hausa language to enhance understanding and adoption of the improved techniques.
He said the training aimed to empower farmers with practical skills in modern rice production and become service providers in their communities, lamenting that lack of access to transplanting machines remained a major challenge.
The consultant noted that although farmers had been trained on the use of transplanting machines, many could not afford the equipment due to its high cost.
“We are calling on development partners to support these farmers with machines, as many have been trained but cannot afford the equipment due to its high cost,” he said.
According to him, SRI-2030 and Propcom Plus are working with FalGates Rice in Ribadu community of Fufure LGA in Adamawa State, where 600 farmers are supported with inputs, including NPK and urea fertilisers.
He said other items included solar irrigation pumps for the 2026 dry season farming, which the farmers would pay back in kind at the end of the season and also sell extra paddy to the company.
“In Kano and Jigawa states, we are currently working with Fursa Rice, supporting about 298 farmers cultivating 330.5 hectares of farmland,” he said.
A field officer, Abubakar Abdulrahman, while demonstrating the use of the machine, described mechanical transplanting as a modern innovation that significantly reduces labour and time.
“Previously, manual transplanting required about 20 people working for two days to cover one hectare of land. With the machine, two to three people can transplant one hectare within three hours,” he said.
Abdulrahman explained that the method requires a special nursery known as mat nursery, prepared using sandy soil, rice bran, and organic manure, unlike the traditional bare-field nursery.
The field officer added that the training also covered seed preparation, field levelling, pre-irrigation, and machine settings such as spacing, depth, and number of seedlings.
He further noted that machine transplanting costs about N50,000 per hectare, compared to N80,000 to N100,000 for manual labour, making it more cost-effective for farmers.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, a rice farmer, Mrs Zainab Bashari, said the innovation had greatly reduced the burden of manual transplanting.
“Before now, we spent two to three days transplanting one hectare and paid about N80,000 to N100,000 for labour. With the machine, the work is faster, cheaper, and less stressful. We are very happy with this development,” she said.
Bashari, a widow and mother of 10, said the training had improved their farming practices and increased yield.
“In a good season, we harvest between 40 and 45 bags per hectare, and sometimes up to 100 bags,” she said.
She, however, appealed to the government and development partners to support farmers with fertilisers, irrigation pumps, and transplanting machines.
“We want to farm more, but lack of funds and equipment is limiting us,” she added.
NAN recalls that SRI-2030, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, trained 22 extension workers in January 2024 on sustainable rice farming and climate change mitigation.
The extension workers were drawn from Kano, Jigawa, Kebbi, Bauchi, and Adamawa states to strengthen farmers’ capacity and promote environmentally friendly rice production that increases yield and reduces Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions.
The training attracted stakeholders in the promotion of SRI in Nigeria, including representatives of RICOWAS Project.
NAN
