Bayelsa farmers takes delivery of Ayade's rice seedlings.



The first batch of Cross River Rice Seedlings under the N3 billion order placed by the Rice Farmers’ Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) with the support of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), for the South South region has arrived Bayelsa.


The Chairman of Bayelsa State RIFAN, Mr Ezekiel Ogbianko confirmed the arrival of the seedlings in a telephone interview.


``Yes, we have taken delivery of rice seedlings from Cross River a few days ago and we have started planting, ‘’ he said.


He, however, said that the details of the transactions between Bayelsa government and Cross River government of RIFAN were not disclosed to the state RIFAN.


``We do not know much about the transactions but they brought the seedlings to us and asked us to start planting, ‘’ he said.


It would be recalled that, Gov. Ben Ayade of Cross River recently disclosed that RIFAN had placed N10.8 billion order for the supply of rice seedlings from the state’s automated rice seedling factory to the southern states.


Ayade, who stated this during the recent flag-off of wet season rice farming for 2019 in Calabar, said that the state would also provide all the seedlings support services to the enable the states succeed.


``This reflects a full realisation of the vision for a rice seeds and seedlings factory in Cross River,’’ he said.


According to him, other support services offered by the factory include mechanisation support and planting services


The governor added that, other Niger Delta states were already lining up for the seedlings.


“The payment for the supply is not done by individual farmer or state, but coordinated under the RIFAN- CBN program, so that is the way to handle it. 


``Before we make a supply to a state, we receive an order from RIFAN, go to that state, do a valuation of the preparedness of the people and farmers to receive the seedlings.


``We then have a list of all the potential recipient farmers and on the basis of that, we compute that into our system and know the quantity that will be loaded to a particular state,”  Ayade said.