Ifere Paul|20 November 2015|6:20am
Over the past two weeks, the Ben Ayade rice city MoU has received yet another internet hype like nothing else. The news of this MoU spread like wildfire. Government Media Aides said that the rice city will be a multi billion dollar investment from
Thailand. Like always, the media arm of the government was apt to paint our imagination of how
beautiful such rice cities will look like. I just ignored the sensational hype to dwindle before I put forth
this arguments and advice to government.
What are Rice Cities? People have been asking me what rice cities are as if I was the one who signed the MoU. I don't really know what rice cities are. But I know what rice
villages are. Anyone who has been watching those Asian movies we use to watch as kids may have
seen those Vietnamese, Cambodians, Chinese with round thatched hats in rice farms. Those farms stretches thousands of kilometres and with small
settlements in between vast farmlands. Those settlements are mostly riverine and waterlogged
areas. Abundantly used for the cultivation of rice, wheat, sorghum, and cotton. For Ben Ayade, it is conceptualized as cities. For Ayade, everything is coined to have a new name so that the people can be confused and then be rendered destitute in governance activities and action plans.
*Thailand and Rice Production:
Let us go to Thailand. Thailand has been known as a leader in rice production for a longer time
throughout the early 60's and late 70's. In fact, everything about Thailand is made with rice money.
The new Bangkok and its skyscrapers, Phuket and its sandy beaches, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai and their golden Buddhist temples were made with rice money. Rice trade along the silkroad was dominated by Thailand until the late 1970's. Is Thailand a rice super power now? This is the best question in this argument.
Thailand has been out of the rice market for over 20 years now. The rise of tourism economy pushed labour intensive economy out of the new order. The rise in earning among low income and mid income families through the rise of tourism also contributed to push aside crude farming methods. During the boom of agricultural produce of the early 50's, Thailand invested massively in University education development by building world class universities
that now produces graduates in ICT, corporate finance, insurance, mobile communication, e- commerce, and a lot more citizens friendly
participation in tourism development. With the aforementioned innovation and
development, the "Thai Rice" suffered a lack of investment attraction and less government
financing. The deathrow blow finally came in 1979 when Chinese renowned father of modern rice, Prof Yuan Longping discovered the formula to modify the genes system in rice to produce the first hybrid rice with a harvest period of 120 days. He has since
shortened it to 90 days.
*Global Warming Challenges vs Thai Rice:
Thai rice has suffered so much decline and farmers has had to depend on insurance companies for
compensation due to seasonal floods. Ocean tides from the gulf of Thailand often causes monumental
destruction in Pattaya and Phuket. Most rice villages are concentrated in Pattaya swamps and other upperlands and lower silt and loamy section of Phuket and Chiang Rai. Farmers are easily discouraged to go into rice farming especially when
insurance companies gives them a hard time before compensation. No farmer will be willing to indulge
into farming practices they do not benefit tremendously. And tourism provides a steady daily income. Then, why farm?
*The Rise of China Hybrid Research vs Thai Rice:
As mentioned earlier, Prof Yuan Longing developed the new modern rice that is also resistant to flood
water. This hybrid brand can also survive minimal watering when irrigation method of planting is used. With this discovery, Yuan Longping solved Chinese
dependence on the Thai Rice. That also helped a market drop and consumption of Thai rice in the
international market. Thai rice in farms were harvested and stored because the market consumption forecast were not good. Because they were waiting for higher prices to trade, they waited in vain as China not only penetrated international market, but did so with a higher quality at a cheaper
price. Till today, most of that rice harvested 30 years ago, are still in silos.
A report by Channels TV reported that some politicians imported expired rice from Thailand. CNN
International has also been trailing a more than 30 years rice that was smuggled into the US.
★ Note this very important issue, I will come back to treat it in the last section of my submission.
*China Hybrid: Flood and Disease Resistant, Silt and Swamp Cultivation vs Thai Rice:
As stated earlier, the father of modern rice is a Chinese man who has developed innovative ways to
cultivate rice. At present, Prof Yuan Longping is cross breeding the corn and rice genes to bring forth a chlorophyll enhancement in rice. This, he believes will also boost production by 50% of national output. While Thai rice already stored in silos over the decades is looking at places to offload, the Chinese are building innovative ways to increase production and taste while feeding the world with fresh unpolluted rice.
Most interesting is the fact that for every 100 bags of rice in the international market with a Thai brand is falsely package. The Thai traders mostly Nigerians, buy from China and them repackage with
Thai brand's bags. Producers in Thailand also order directly from China where they ask Chinese traders to package in Thai bags. And for every 100 bags that passes through Thailand's port, 5 bags may
have expired 10 years before in their silos.
*Cross River State SongHai Farm vs Thai-Africa Rice City Corporation:
Songhai Farms is located in Abi Local Government Area, Songhai Farms are a wonderful initiative
that's modelled in a way that depends on financing manpower and skill development that will be
absorbed into the operations of the farm. The farm has a land capacity of over 2.5 hectares presently,
with prospects of expanding in the third phase. The farm has been operating in its second phase. The
farm is sited in Ediba, just beside the Ediba River and only a few metres from Abomege, a village in
Ebonyi State. The Songhai Farm has trained over 2500 young CrossRiverians in Benin, Chad, and
Niger in different farm methods and skills. This farm is known for high quality eggs and poultry birds and meat by residents in Abia and Rivers. With an employment capacity of a little above 1300
young entrepreneurs that the company trained, the company was prepared for business when it was
commissioned weeks into the Ben Ayade campaign funfair.
With a poultry hatchet of over 150 thousand birds a day, egg production of over 300 crates per day, piggery with agric pigs, and many more. Its location by the banks of the Ediba River is to enhance irrigation farming of extensive commercial rice for
local and international consumption. The farms has
training facility or Institute and its first graduates graduated last month. The former governor of Cross River State has spent
well over 2.5 billion on its part as counterpart funds.
Other promotional crops under the Songhai arrangement include commercial cassava and
processing plants, maize, millet, sorghum, Moringa, and other crops of international value. The farm also
has a mushroom dark room and its mushroom are sold in Shoprite Enugu.
*Ben Ayade vs Rice Cities:
Giving this significant preparedness of Songhai Farms, and their achievement so far, I thought it will
have been wise for the present government to partner Songhai Farms in its development
objectives other than flying all the way to Thailand for rice cities that are nonexistent in Thailand. As Thailand has been kicked out of rice business by China, what is the need of signing an MoU on behalf of Cross River State with a Thai rice firm? Is it that our State has become an MoU collector even for countries whose economies of scale in rice
production has dwindled?
In a chat with Songhai farm business developer and group manager, I was told that their first Moringa harvest has been shipped to China and their next commercial experiment harvest of mushroom will be shipped to Lagos. That Australia is developing interest in its Moringa seeds too.
I dey wonder ooo…Why Ayade dey fly all over the world when we have what he is looking for here in Cross River State? Is it that Ayade is in secret talks to ship expired Thai rice currently stored in different silos in Thailand? Wouldn't that lead to food
poisoning in CRS? I just dey wonder Sha….Whatever the size of the rice city or rice village that the Thai
can build in Cross River, I believe that Songhai farms, a Chinese sponsored initiative can build it for
us better. Is it rice city on the ranch? Songhai farm is ready. However, what we don't know and begging to know is that the Ayade Media Puppets should tell us the impact and achievement of the Thai-Africa Corporation in Thailand or Asia with their rice cities so far. In Africa, where have they invested before?
The impact on host companies? What is the capacity of training and employment of the host population and their absorption rate in the
Corporation? What is the medium and long term objectives in manpower and local skill
development? And many other achievements. Unless these questions are answered, the people of Cross River State will continue to treat the MoU on Thai rice city in Cross River State as Bozu Bozu.
Next article: "Did Ayade Travel To China?" Evidence available say he didn't. Ifere Paul is willing to keep the conversation going and will always push it further.
Ifere Paul
Is an Environmental Activist & Public Policy Analyst
