Niger State launches over US$1B five-year partnership to boost rice production

NIGERIA – Niger State, Nigeria’s top rice-producing region, has launched a US$1.2 billion five-year partnership with AfricaRice to raise annual paddy production to 10 million tonnes, a sharp increase from 707,000 tonnes harvested in 2024.

The agreement was signed on July 23, 2025, between the Niger State government and AfricaRice, an Ivory Coast-based research centre under the CGIAR system.

The initiative will be led by the state-owned Niger Foods and aims to strengthen Niger State’s leadership in rice production while advancing Nigeria’s goal of achieving rice self-sufficiency.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Nigeria’s milled rice production for 2025/2026 is projected at 5.2 million tonnes, while consumption is forecast at 8.1 million tonnes, leaving a deficit of nearly 3 million tonnes covered through imports, primarily from India, Thailand, and Pakistan.

The World Bank notes that Nigeria spent over US$2 billion on rice imports in 2024, highlighting the urgency of ramping up domestic production.

The Niger State project will establish a 5,000-hectare seed farm targeting the production of 25,000 tonnes of certified seeds annually, which will support the cultivation of 500,000 hectares of rice, nearly doubling the current 281,902 hectares under rice cultivation reported by the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS) in 2024.

AfricaRice will deploy international experts, improved seed varieties, climate-smart agronomic practices, and mechanization strategies under this partnership.

The organisation’s interventions across West Africa have previously demonstrated yield improvements of 30–50% through the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and stress-tolerant rice varieties, which are expected to be part of the Niger State project portfolio.

While financing specifics and operational phases remain unclear, Niger State Commissioner for Agriculture, Malam Umaru Kuta, said in a local briefing that the funding will blend state budget allocations, federal government support, and concessional loans from agricultural development partners.

The state is also exploring Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) for processing and storage infrastructure to reduce post-harvest losses, which currently account for up to 20% of rice harvested in the country, according to FAO estimates.

Rice is Nigeria’s second most consumed cereal after maize, and with a rapidly growing population projected to reach 250 million by 2030, demand is expected to climb steadily. Niger State currently contributes about 8% of Nigeria’s paddy rice production, and this investment aims to position it as a model for state-led agricultural transformation.

If successful, the project will support food security and rural livelihoods by creating an estimated 500,000 direct and indirect jobs across the rice value chain, including input supply, mechanisation services, processing, and marketing.

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