By Festus Ahon

SINCE the price of oil began to drop last year, government has been encouraging agriculture as alternative source of revenue for the country.
Some Nigerians, who heeded the government call, are doing very well in farming and creating jobs for a large number of youths.

•Guanah with the tractor given out by the NDDC

While some of them went into rice, cocoa and palm plantation, others went into poultry, piggery and fish farming among others.
One of them, a major rice farmer in Delta State and Chief Executive Officer of Guanah Farms Limited, Raymous Guanah, spoke to the Sunday Vanguard on his experience and challenges in rice farming.

On how it has been as a farmer, Guanah said: “ It has been very exciting. Overtime, we have been trying to overcome the challenges associated with large scale commercial agriculture”.

“As at today, we are doing rice cultivation and processing. Our rice is in the market; we have a brand, Unity Rice. We also produce seed for the seed council, that is, we produce rice seed for farmers”.

On the capacity of his farm and the tons he produce per day, Guanah said: “The capacity of our rice mill, which is the only modern rice mill in Delta State, is one ton per hour and if we have paddy as much as possible we can process all.

“Today we have 1600 hectares that we are cultivating at Illah in Oshimili North, Amoji in Ndokwa West, Ogume in Ndokwa West, Ogulama in Ndokwa West and Ike-Onitsha. As long as we have the resources, we will keep expanding the size of our lands”.

On his challenges, he said “The commercial agriculture, the main challenge is with farm implement. That is why today we are excited to see that NDDC has supported us with a complete tractor; it has Plough, a bucket, slicher, harrow and a rotavator.

“This will go a very long way in supporting us to increase our capacity both in preparation and in harvest time. I don’t know how the NDDC works, but for this tractor I want to commend the NDDC because I am a beneficiary. They did real due process, they did due diligence.

“For example, before we were given this tractor, NDDC officials visited our farms; saw what we are doing, took photographs; they asked for the titles to our lands, so that anybody that asks them, they can say that this land is given by this community to this farmer. They did all that due diligence and, at the end of the day, gave us these implements having found us worthy.

“Therefore I want to say that they should continue to be diligent because there are many persons that claim to be farmers whereas they are not. Maybe in the past they might have benefited wrongly from this support NDDC is giving to farmers but if they do the kind of diligence they have done for us, I am sure more farmers would benefit, the real farmers, not just political farmers or briefcase farmers.

“The tractor in the market today, with all the implements attached to it, will cost between N14 million and N16 million. I want to appreciate the NDDC particularly the staff on ground at the Warri office.

“I want to appreciate the State Director, Mr. Gbugbemi Ogor. He saw me once. The way he spoke to me shows that NDDC is willing and able to support farmers. The NDDC is doing so much for us as farmers. I want to also ask that it is not enough to just give us tractors; they should also visit our farms to see what we have been able to do in our farms with the tractors”.

On whether Delta State government is supporting him, Guanah said, “Delta State government gave us tractors and asked us to pay 40 percent of the cost instalmentally.

“It is a wonderful thing but I want to use this opportunity to plead with the state government to look at the gesture of the NDDC and convert that 40 percent to grant and it will go a long way in assisting us.
“One day let them say they have seen what we are doing with the tractors and write off the cost.”