Draft:Abakaliki rice

Abakaliki Rice

Abakaliki rice is a type of rice cultivated exclusively in Ebonyi State, South Eastern Nigeria. Although the rice was named after Abakaliki town, the name of the Ebonyi State capital, all rice grown and cultivated within the 13 local government areas of the state is now generally referred to as Abakaliki rice.

A heap of freshly milled Abakaliki rice awaits bagging.

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Abakaliki rice comes in several varieties and is used in making an assortment of dishes because of its unique flavour, as it contains a variety of nutrients, such as vitamin B6, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc, in addition to being low in fat, and offers a good source of dietary fibre.. The rice is grown at least twice a year, because of the region’s hydromorphic soils, which are suitable for rice farming. The prevalent warm weather in the State, also allows Abakaliki rice to mature faster than other varieties grown in different climates.

Rice farming in Abakaliki accounts for more than 50 per cent of agricultural activities in Ebonyi State and provides thousands of jobs annually to indigenous farmers, contributing significantly to meeting Nigeria’s annual rice demand, estimated at 6.7 million metric tonnes. Ebonyi State produces an estimated 134,000 metric tonnes of Abakaliki rice, which generates over $4 million annually in tax revenue for the farmers and the State.

The Abakaliki rice mill, which consists of 4,500 milling machines, 50 destoning centres, and 10 polishing machines, employs about 1,850 workers directly and indirectly.

History

According to historians, Abakaliki rice dates back to 1940 when Nigeria was still a part of the British colony. As a result, the Department of Agriculture of the British colonial government met at Umuahia in the same year to decide which part of Eastern Nigeria was suitable for rice cultivation. The Department of Agriculture eventually decided to introduce the rice to Abakaliki, Afikpo, and Ohaozara areas which had swampy soil. This move gave birth to Abakaliki rice. Rampant shortages of food during World War II compelled the colonial authorities to explore several alternatives to boost food supply throughout its colonies across the world as the war constrained importation activities. Therefore, the workers from the colonial Department of Agriculture made it a priority to domesticate rice in Abakaliki taking advantage of the Abakaliki Savannah soil which is most suitable for rice cultivation.

Resistance to Abakaliki Rice

Before the introduction of rice to the Abakaliki area, the people were mostly subsistence farmers whose major crops included staples such as yam, cassava, potato, cocoyam, etc. Therefore, when rice was introduced, local farmers, especially the Ikwo, Izzi, and Ezza people resisted the crop. Some historians described it as “stiff resistance”. One historian, Simon Ottenberg recounted that farmers from the Izzi-speaking areas of Abakaliki rejected the crop on religious grounds, as they feared that the gods could punish the entire clan for abandoning the traditional yam crops. The Ezza farmers had similar fears and even blamed the poor harvest of yams in the 1950s on the introduction of rice crops. In some instances, people took the matter into their own hands by destroying rice farms, as in Ikwo where the people destroyed one Chief Onwe Ogah’s rice. Abakaliki rice was eventually popularized by outsiders who leased rice lands within Abakaliki and continued to grow the rice leveraging new and emerging techniques.

Despite the initial resistance, Abakaliki farmers soon realized that rice was indeed more profitable compared to their traditional yam and cassava crops. Rice was easier to cultivate and matured faster compared to yam and cassava. Therefore, they gradually drifted towards rice farming in addition to those staple foods. More so, the fact that there is an abundant rainfall of about 1500mm annually in the Abakaliki area, enabling rice to be grown in the rich, fairly level, clay soil without artificial irrigation, enhanced its appeal to the initially reluctant farmers.

By 1945, rice farming in Ababkaliki had started gaining popularity and impacting people’s lives. The colonial government drove rice cultivation from 600 acres in the Abakaliki division to 18,000 acres in 1954. Over the next five years, Abakaliki cultivated 20,000 acres, while the number of rice mills rose to 95.

'Abakaliki Rice Varieties

Abakaliki rice takes its root from the Asian Oryza sativa and the African Oryza glaberrima..

A heap of freshly milled Abakaliki rice awaits bagging.

Abakaliki rice is a species of rice commonly found in Asia, Africa, America, and Europe, which traced their origins to either Indica or Japonica. The varieties of rice that morphed into the popular Abakaliki rice were the species that the British colonial authorities and the Christian missionaries introduced. These varieties of rice include FARO 1, FARO 14 and 15, FARO 44 and 51, FARO 52, FARO 57, NERICA 19, 34, and 49, WAB 189-B-B-8-HB and NERICA 7 and 8. Other varieties include 306, Iron, Mars, R8, CP, Mandela, Brown rice and Geisha.

Culinary Uses

Abakaliki rice dish is an everyday food in Ebonyi State and across Nigeria and is traditionally served as jollof rice. Because of its natural unique flavour and taste, the rice can be prepared with a few ingredients and it will still taste as good and nutritious.. The Abakaliki rice dish is also served as white rice and stew. The stew can be a fresh or canned tomato stew, or a vegetable sauce of tomato, fresh pepper, onions, seasonings, meat, spices, pumpkin, crayfish, vegetable oil, salt, etc. It also goes well with ayamase stew. A dish of Abakaliki rice is also served with fried plantain, or cooked together with white, brown, or honey beans as jollof rice or as white rice and beans. The rice is also served as a side in a beef, chevon, or chicken pepper soup dish. It is also served with pepper soup as the stew. .

Economic Impact

Rice is the most important cash crop in Ebonyi State. Nearly every household in Ebonyi engages in the cultivation of Abakaliki rice, thereby creating jobs for hundreds of thousands of people, including men, women, and the youth. This is because the cost of rice production pales in comparison to net profit per hectare.

Bags of Abakaliki rice awaits transportation to the market

An estimated 6.7 metric tonnes of Abakaliki rice is produced per harvest, accounting for between 4 – 5% of Nigeria’s total local rice production and making Ebonyi the largest producer of rice in Nigeria.

As of independence, Nigeria was a net exporter of rice and Abakaliki rice export was one of the foreign exchange earners for the government of the eastern region. Rice export from Abakaliki to Ghana in 1965 is estimated to have fetched about £3 million for the eastern region government led by Dr. Michael Okpara. Lack of sustained investment and population explosion has led to increased demand and made Nigeria a net importer of rice.

Abakaliki Rice Mill

A sign post in front of the Abakaliki rice mill

One of the most visible impacts of Abakaliki rice is the Abakaliki rice mill, which serves as the home to the famous Abakaliki rice. Established in 1964, the Abakaliki Rice Mill covers an expanse of land measuring 1,938.464 square metres and incorporated as the Abakaliki Rice Mill Company Ltd. The mill has about 1,850 workers, 4,500 rice milling machines, and a production capacity of more than 11,000 metric tonnes per month. Each machine can produce over 140 bushels of rice in four hours. The rice mill is run by 248 members who constitute the Rice Mill Owners Association.