By Peter Samuel
An agricultural researcher and expert in rice planting, production and, harvesting in Ebonyi State, South East of Nigeria, Mr. Patrick Ogbuinya, has described FARO-44 and FARO-52 varieties of rice as the game changers in rice production in Nigeria.
Ogbuinya who is also in charge of rice processing and quality enhancement,
at the Ebonyi State Value Chain Development Programme, Onuebonyi, in Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, pointed out that rice, also known as Oryza sativa had undergone series of researches as the earlier 305 variety of rice was no longer in vogue, because of the size of its grain and the longer period it takes to mature after planting.
Meanwhile, FARO-44 is a popular, high-yielding, and disease-resistant rice variety, particularly favored for its excellent milling quality and adaptability to various lowland rice-growing environments. It is known for its long grain and good cooking taste.
It is known for its high yield potential, with some sources stating 7-10 tonnes per hectare under optimal conditions. It can be cultivated multiple times a year under irrigation. It is an early maturing variety, typically ready for harvest in 90-100 days.
This rice variety has superior milling qualities, resulting in a better final product after processing. It is well-suited to lowland areas, including shallow swamps, irrigated lowlands, and rain-fed inland lowlands.
FARO-44 is known for its resistance to blast disease and moderate resistance to leaf blight as it is a long-grain rice variety.
The expert said it is also known as Sipi or SIPI (with the National code NGOS-91-44). In summary, FARO-44 is a highly productive and adaptable rice variety, that is well-suited for lowland rice farming, offering farmers high yields and good quality grain.
Ogbuinya also described FARO-52 variety of rice as a high-yielding rice variety (Oryza sativa) in Nigeria, also known as WITA 4. It is known for its tolerance to iron toxicity and drought conditions.
This variety is typically grown in shallow swamp agro-ecological zones and is well-suited for lowland rice cultivation.
FARO-52 is known for its tolerance to drought conditions: It can withstand periods of water scarcity, making it suitable for areas with unreliable rainfall.
In addition, FARO-52 is resistant to the negative effects of high iron content in the soil, a common problem in some rice-growing areas. It is well-suited for shallow swamp and lowland rice cultivation. FARO-52 typically matures in 125-135 days.
Also, FARO-52 was originally named WITA 4 and was released in Nigeria in 2001. Research has also explored its moisture gain during soaking at different temperatures.
According to him: “Rice started being produced in Ebonyi 1951 from the colonial masters and over the years, there have been changes in the rice production system.
“There are new varieties of rice that beats the former varieties of rice production earlier being used by farmers. For instance, the FARO-44 and FARO-52 rice varieties. These varieties are game changers in the rice production value chain and they have long grains, which the consumers are interested in compared to the 305 that has short grains and take longer period to mature.”
The rice expert recalled that before the discovery of both FARO-44 and FARO-52, some farmers committed suicide between 1988 and 1989 in Nigeria, because of the massive attacks on their rice fields by Pests
“You recall that in years back, between 1988 and 1989, farmers committed suicide when their rice fields was invaded by pests. Research has also made it clear that FARO-52 is also resistance to pests. That is why there have been less incidents of rice attack by pests in Ebonyi State.”
He stated that what made Abakaliki rice unique was the composition of its soil content and the system of rice production, that is typical or original to the Ebonyi people.
He said, the Abakaliki farmers use the method known as steam parboiling of rice, instead of the usual practice of using water to parboil the rice after production.
“We can beat our chest that we are the king of rice within this environment. The reason is that our rice is produced in an environment that has a special affinity to the soil. Recall that Abakaliki area has some salt deposits in it and that impacts a special taste on the rice and not just that, the system of production doesn’t rely solely on chemicals unlike the imported rice.
“And not just that, our rice planting takes place on the paddy fields and not outside the paddy areas and the processing method is one game changer. If you recall, the processing of rice takes place under a condition that has been developed over the years by farmers.
“There’s a special game changer in rice production that makes Abakaliki rice to derived the flavour it has. There’s what is called steam parboiling. Steam parboiling is the technology that we use over here to ensure that the rice is not cooked but steam boiled.
“Steam boiling allows steams to get into the rice and do not allow the whole mouth of the rice to be soaked in water and that is the technology that Easterner Value Chain has been promoting since inception.”
Steam boiling of rice is the process of partially boiling rice in its husk using steam. This hydrothermal treatment involves soaking, steaming, and drying the paddy rice to improve its milling quality, nutritional value, and cooking characteristics.
The paddy rice is submerged in water, often at elevated temperatures, for a period of time. This allows the rice to absorb water and softens the grains.
The soaked paddy is then steamed, which gelatinizes the starch within the rice grains. This process helps to gelatinize the starch, making the rice harder and less prone to breakage during milling.
He added that “And with that the rice doesn’t burn neither does it over cook, compared to what we have in other parts of the country and Africa.”
Ogbuinya expressed optimism that with the massive investment in rice production by people in the South East, especially Ebonyi State, the region has the potentiality of leading in rice production across Nigeria.
“In the South East region, the predominant rice areas are Ebonyi State, Anambra State, Enugu State and some parts of Imo State and that is the Ubuohia area of Mbaise.
“These are the predominantly rice producing areas. The major areas that rice is being produced are in Ebonyi State, where every Local Government area is into rice production compared to most states, where a few of their local government areas are involved in rice production.
“For instance, look at Ebonyi State, they are predominantly engaged in rice production. The whole of Abakaliki, Izzi, Ebonyi, Ezza North and South, Ohaukwu and Ishielu are predominantly rice producing areas. Then look at Ezilo, which is in Ishielu LGA. They have the Ezilo farm, which encompasses an area of 1,200 hectares.
“And these areas are under the cultivation of rice every year. The state government is embarking on the production of rice in an area totaling 98 hectares. You can see the massive injection of rice that will come out from that area. ”
