₦airaland Forum

Farming rice is not just about planting seeds and waiting for harvest. It requires planning, timing, and understanding the right agronomic practices.


Farming start with the soil test, soil testing will give u the detailed nutrition of the soil. From the test we discovered that the nitrogen level of the soil was high, the potassium was medium and phosphorus was very low. Though the low phosphorus wasn't a surprise because kogi state soil I deficient in Phosphorus.

The zinc content of the soil was also low, which means we have to be ready to apply a zinc based fertilizer I order to prevent Khaira disease of rice.


I used 50kg of Faro 44 seed, farming starts with the right seed, when you select ur seed, check the following features.
(1) is it suitable for your agro ecological zone?

(2) what is the yield potential?

(3) what are the defensive Agronomic packages of the seed?

For faro 44, it is mildly tolerant to blast, it is can go as high as 6 tons of u follow good Agronomic practices.

We used dibbling method for planting.

For the weed control, we didn't use glyphosate as it is considered dangerous to the health.

I will be explaining our success and failures as we learn together.

Feel free to comment. Attached also is a video of the operation for those that want to see it visually.

Thanks....

We started by preparing the land, we did our first pre-planting Herbicide application where we applied butachlor 7 days prior to planting

Planting was done on the 8th of July using dibbling method, though picture of the operation was lost due to my phone being stolen. But other details from 16th till date are all intact.


On16th day, we applied a pesticide that contains cypermetrin.

We controlled pest at seedling stage. Pest like rice hispa, rice sem borer and rice leaf folder.

Attached are pictures of pre planting Herbicide application and germination after application of pesticide.

Attached also is a picture of the seed( faro 44)

For those that want to watch it visually, the Link below will take u there...

“Rice farming is a journey 🌾 — and I’m showing you every step, from land prep to harvest.
👉 Subscribe here so you don’t miss the next stage


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAZOdhup4Dw?si=fv0Jro8ROEKhoYlV

We did the post emergence Herbicide application before first fertilizer application.

For u to be able to control weed of rice very well, don't wait for the weeds to be overgrown.

The older the weed, the stronger the immune system.

Weed compete with crops for space, nutrients sunlight etc


We used a post emergence herbicide that contains Bispyribàc sodium at 200g.

Attached are pictures and video for your perusal


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTN6FgKjfTE?si=V7pp65G6zlC92Ofi

Few days after post emergence herbicide application, we proceeded to fertilizer application.

Rice crop requires

Nitrogen (N): 110-218 kg/ha, crucial for plant growth, leaf size and panicle development. Optimal N rates range from 110-185 kg/ha, depending on the rice variety.
- Phosphorus (P2O5): 30.5-34 kg/ha, vital for root development, tillering and early plant growth. Apply 20-70 kg/ha of P2O5 based on soil test results. And Kogi state soil is deficient in these.
-Potassium (K2O): 156-258 kg/ha, necessary for disease resistance, root growth and grain yield. Rice absorbs large amounts of K, especially high-yielding cultivars.

We used NPK 15_15_15

Attached are the pictures and the video


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g05eL2cnKWU?si=MDuMxQ4QKobaQDpj

Rice is the only crop that always wastes, from production to processing, down to consumption. Why is it so?

Nice one OP.
There is money in farming. It's better to resort to farming than begging upandan.

This is a good development.


Keep it up.


You have beaten hunger.


I am into poultry 🐔

How did you conduct the soil test and what did it cost you

Nice work out there bro, it's time we learn to work with our hands and be productive this way. Keep it up young lads. Greatness awaits you( chilla)

Farmer's are 🤴. Agbe l'oba.. May God bless/enlarge your coast

Great job! If we can have more like you hungers will be reduced in the land!

This just reminded me of those days in Ekiti state when people were actively into this. Infact, many students use the returns of rice farming to navigate their school year then. Not today again.

I want to ask, if you go into Rice farming in Nigeria, will you need a license? What if customs stops you on the road, especially with all this open eye Nigerian police how do you check out?

Interesting. I have some questions ... but a little background. My grandmother was a farmer... livestock ..goats ..pigs and also rice. Around ages 8 to maybe 13 I used to spend time there during school vacations. From what I recall... I never seen her use fertilizers ... not saying it should not be used. Guess the soil was just right for rice farming...maybe tested decades before. She...like some other rice farmers in the community had tractors and attachments. They would first plough the soil ..guess like nearly two feet deep ...looked like waves ..then use another plough to chip the waves into ripples. I can't recall if they then scattered the seeds (paddy) before flooding the field...or they flooded it first then scattered the seeds. But when the plants grew to a certain height....they will flood the field and all weeds would be killed off. There was no other weed control method. The field will remain flooded ...maybe about a foot deep ...and that level had to be maintained for quite a while. They did some spraying to get rid of certain insects. Is this another method of farming? ..a different variety of rice ? After harvest...a number of bags of the seeds was kept to grow the next crop. These seeds you are using...do they have to be bought for each crop?...are they GMO? ..or after harvest you have to buy again? Do we sacrifice yield for quality?.... quantity over quality? Back then .. rice was cooked ..left over...used the next day ..and the following day. I have noticed "quality" rice today....cook today ...tomorrow mushy...next day almost a mess ..broken down to starch. I conclude high yield GMO rice. What seeds are non GMO? You apply weed killer...they kill the weeds but not the rice. This tells me that the rice is GMO ...engineered by Monsanto ...weed killer engineered by Monsanto since their weed killers kill any other plants except their own. I'm not knocking you .... you have to live...and the same is practiced in other countries especially China. It is always better to support local produce than imported ones... as in we know exactly what we are getting from you ...and have no clue what we import...what grains they are using...what fertilizers they are using...what chemicals they are using to preserve the grains etc. With the current price of rice...many more should go into rice farming. My last question ... what hazards do you do you have to face ? ...besides the usual insects that attack rice ...snakes?...wild animals ?... herdsmen ? ...is water supply abundant for you to irrigate...and drain the fields? I've said more than enough ... dished you a heaping bowl of rice.

I can only but admire you @Op, growing up i always wanted to be a farmer and I dreamed of being a commercial farmer. But for a late career change into medicine, I would have been a farmer. Still happy where I am. Would go back into farming when I retire from the medical profession. 🤞 🤞

Thank you for helping in feeding a hungry nation.
You chose to offer solution and be practical about it, rather than choosing the complaint route

Esude007:
Attached are pictures of pre planting Herbicide application and germination after application of pesticide.

OP please can I dm you I'm also a farmer too I really like your thread

Well done OP.
Oya come and answer the plenty questions.

Hmmm, how is the op going to make gain in this regime that prefer importation to local production?

Npk fertilizer is around 50 to 60k per bag. Now the farmer may need a bag for a farm whose output at the end of the day may not be up to two bags of 50 kg that's around 60k now.
This is outside cost of renting the land, preparing (clearing, tilling, harrowing, ploughing, first weed control chemicals) of the land, not to talk of cost of visitation, harvesting and so on. So this year, no farmer makes even on rice. Maize is the worst.
The government needs to subsidies farm input the way it is done in a saner climes where they are importing from.

Esude007:
Attached are pictures of pre planting Herbicide application and germination after application of pesticide.

Question from one not familiar with all this. How many acres of land does one need to grow a full bag of rice? Just trying to understand the logistics/profitability of the whole operation.

With all these chemicals that you are applying,I hope we are not in for a big problem health wise.

OP, welldone,👍🙏!
- This is What NigeriaN-Govt-) especially the Past and the Present) - SHOULD have been doing - SINCE 1960 AND TILL DATE- MOST MINISTRIES OF AGRICULTURE - ARE JUST ENJOYING THE BUDGETS - ON FOOD PRODUCTION IN NIGERIA!
WE (As A Nation - Should Be Ashamed that we Can't even Feed ourselves!

Great job! i will make sure i watch all the videos, i want to go into rice production too.

How do you deal with quelea birds?

(Discussions of the art of love-making should be restricted to the hidden sexuality section.)

Make I park here. Awaiting subsequent posts. Interesting times.

These are the kind of post that needs to be promoted.

Safyqueen:
Hmmm, how is the op going to make gain in this regime that prefer importation to local production?

Npk fertilizer is around 50 to 60k per bag. Now the farmer may need a bag for a farm whose output at the end of the day may not be up to two bags of 50 kg that's around 60k now.
This is outside cost of renting the land, preparing (clearing, tilling, harrowing, ploughing, first weed control chemicals) of the land, not to talk of cost of visitation, harvesting and so on. So this year, no farmer makes even on rice. Maize is the worst.
The government needs to subsidies farm input the way it is done in a saner climes where they are importing from.

I will always respect Buhari for banning the importation of rice ... except that he should've given ample notice to ramp up local production. Regardless ...rice production was on the increase until ....... No doubt ... it would be nice to subsidize fertilizers but that would sooner be exported. But by now our universities should ve come up with local fertilizers. I really believ farmers should be given duty free concessions to import equipment they need. And yes.... the FG should discourage rice importation ..... heavy import taxes ....heavy fines for violations. This will encourage local farming..

tremilatre:
I can only but admire you @Op, growing up i always wanted to be a farmer and I dreamed of being a commercial farmer. But for a late career change into medicine, I would have been a farmer. Still happy where I am. Would go back into farming when I retire from the medical profession. 🤞 🤞

if you want to go into farming after retirement, i will advice you to start now so as to have enough experience before retirement..