Ashimolowoand his farmland
Many farmers in Ofada, Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State,community known for the cultivation of rice in the South West, have abandoned the crop for a number of reasons, chief among which is the headache of controlling swarms of birds which destroy rice plantations.
But rice farming seems to have got an unlikely entrant in the popular Senior Pastor
of Kingsway International Christian Centre,Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo.
When words got in about an expanse of rice farmland in Ofada, our correspondent
paid a visit to the Meridian Farm Limited and saw harvesters working on the 140-acre plantation.
In 2013, our correspondent had paid a visit to Ofada, prompted by the strange development that such a community well
known for the crop no longer cultivated it.
Farmers had said at the time that pests sometimes left nothing for them to harvest,
which was why they had to abandon such an ‘unprofitable venture.’
On Tuesday, not until after a tour and an interview with the manager of the farm, Mr.
Akeem Aremu, did our correspondent learn that the massive rice plantation was actually owned by Pastor Ashimolowo.
Rice farming in Nigeria seemed to have become a dying sub-sector until the recent efforts by government in encouraging
farmers to resuscitate it.
Even despite this, statistics shows that a lot need to be done as Nigeria continues to
consume more imported polished rice.
Nigeria imports 2.1 metric tonnes of rice annually, coming only second to China as the world’s largest importer of rice.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture,Nigeria spends over N356bn a year on rice
importation. This underscores the
frustration Nigerian rice farmers face as a result of unaffordability of needed technology, low and poor quality yields.
However, at Ashimolowo’s Meridian Farms,all these do not seem to be a problem.
A harvester rolled into the plantation,swallowing both chaff and grain, spitting
out both from different sides.
Aremu told Saturday PUNCH that this year’s harvest was a giant leap from last year’s.
“Last year, we cultivated 28 acres. But this year, we increased it to 140. Our chairman
(Ashimolowo) even wanted 200 acres but the time was not enough to make that
possible,” he said.
When there was no sign of any hi-tech nets or other devices in place that could have kept pests at bay, our correspondent asked
how they successfully cultivated the crop with the birds around.
Aremu explained that rudimentary methods of chasing away or ensnaring pests were
actually used.
He stated, “It was all about planning. But make no mistake, pests were our major
challenge too. But we were strategic about it.
“We divided the plantation into four sections and put at least 10 people in each section armed with catapults and whistles.
We also used drums.
“We discovered that the birds swarmed on the plantation around 6am. So, we got to
the farm before them and ready to scare them away with whistles and catapults when they came for breakfast. In the evening when we knew that they would
come as well, we got there before them.
“Normally, the birds usually come during the most important stage of the cultivation,the milking stage. That is when the rice is
still very soft and milk-like. Without adequate preparation for this stage, one may not get a single grain out of the plantation.
“A farmer came to visit us a few days ago and he could not help expressing his shock that we could successfully produce rice
here. The man said he planted more than five acres of rice and he did not harvest a single grain out of it because birds destroyed everything.”
At Ashimolowo’s rice farm, the workers said they had to make use of a number of traps
as well to ensnare grass-cutters, which are regarded as the bane of rice plantation.
Rice, which has become a staple in Nigeria,used to be the crop of choice for farmers in a number of communities in the South-West
like Ofada. Over the years, these have simply vanished.
However, some entrepreneurs who have the financial wherewithal are bringing back
the locally produced rice.
In August, Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Federal Government on the establishment of a $1
billion integrated rice-producing company in Nigeria.
When our correspondent took up
Ashimolowo on the motivation behind his going into farming, he explained that it was the need to create jobs and encourage
Nigerians to get back into agriculture.
“I believe we should not just talk but put our words into action,” he said.
He said the company planted about 500 acres of cassava during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He
said no encouragement had been

Farming all the way to redeem nigeria

Ashimolowo have always been a farmer.
I was at his cassava farm in 2006.
This should be an inspiration.for Nigerians to.venture into agricbusiness.