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NIGERIA is the most populous country in Africa, with a population in 1999 of 108.9 million. Much of the land, 924,000 km2 in total, is arable because of the presence of extensive river systems. The northern areas consist of dry plateaus and grasslands. There are also central grasslands. The southern lowlands where most of the population lives, contain tropical forests and are the site of most agriculture. Agriculture occupies 54% of the workforce and constitutes 33% of the GDP.
General information
- GNI per capita PPP$, 2000: 800
- Internal renewable water resources: 221 km3
- Incoming water flow: 59 km3
- Main food consumed: millet and sorghum, roots and tubers, oil and fat, rice, maize
- Rice consumption, 1999: 23.3 kg milled rice per person per year
Production constraints
The following are the major constraints to sustainable rice production in Nigeria:
- Shifting cultivation in upland areas
- Drought in upland areas and drought and flash flood in rainfed lowland (or inland
swamp) and tidal wetland (or mangrove) areas because of irregular weather
- Heat-induced sterility at the end of the off-season in irrigated areas in northern parts
- Cold-induced sterility in December
- Shortage of water in the dry season
- Poor maintenance of irrigation facilities
- Inadequate and irregular input supplies: seeds, fertilizer, and credit
- Lack of small farm equipment, especially for postharvest operations
- Poor maintenance of developed swamps
- Poor drainage, iron toxicity in undeveloped swamps
- Lack of effective farmers' organizations and cooperatives
- Lack of well-defined rice policy
- Poor road networks and marketing systems
- Weak research and extension support
Production season |
|
|
|
Planting |
Harvesting |
Main season,south |
Apr-May |
Aug-Oct |
Main season,north |
Jun-Jul |
Nov-Dec |
Off-season,south |
Nov-Dec |
Mar-Apr |
Off-season,north |
Jan-Feb |
May-Jun |
Basic statistics, Nigeria |
|
1985 |
1990 |
1995 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
Rice |
Area harvested (ha) |
670,000 |
1,208,000 |
1,796,000 |
2,044,000 |
2,061,000 |
2,061,000 |
Yield (t/ha) |
2.1 |
2.1 |
1.6 |
1.6 |
1.6 |
1.6 |
Production (t) |
1,430,000 |
2,500,000 |
2,920,000 |
3,275,000 |
3,277,000 |
3,277,000 |
Rice imports (t) |
356,135 |
224,000 |
300,000 |
594,057 |
687,925 |
na |
Others |
Population, total (x103) |
75,805 |
87,031 |
98,952 |
106,409 |
108,945 |
na |
Population, agriculture (x103) |
36,745 |
37,431 |
37,646 |
37,433 |
37,309 |
na |
Agricultural area (x103 ha) |
71,035 |
72,074 |
72,830 |
69,938 |
na |
na |
Irrigated agricultural area (x103 ha) |
200 |
230 |
235 |
233 |
na |
na |
Total fertilizer consumption (t) |
292,000 |
400,340 |
183,000 |
188,300 |
na |
na |
Tractors used in agric. (no.) |
18,000 |
23,000 |
28,500 |
30,000 |
na |
na |
Source: FAOSTAT online database. |
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