Opportunities, Challenges, And Potentials Of Rice Farming In Taraba

The Nigerian government’s ban on the importation of rice into the country is no longer news. What is not certain is the effectiveness of the ban against limited domestic production to meet consumption in the face of huge untapped production potentials.

Taraba is one of the states in Nigeria that boasts of such potential, but it is also beset by numerous challenges

Nigeria's annual rice consumption demand is said to be about 7.9 million metric tons, most of which is imported despite the enormous rice farming potentials in the country.

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Taraba, in the country's north east is one of the states with an ecology for massive rice farming.
Rice is grown in fifteen (15) out of the sixteen (16) local government areas of the state.

The state produces about two million metric tons of rice annually, a quantity that can be multiplied if the rice farming potentials in the state are further harnessed.

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Rice farming in Taraba state is supported by various federal government agricultural programs in partnership with the state government.

However, farmers in the state want more of such support.

Rice farming and processing has provided many in the state with business and employment opportunities.