Okoye, F.C.

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ABSTRACT
INTEGRATED RICEFISH FARMING IN NIGERIA:
Its fEasibility and EconomIc viabflity
By
F0COkoye
Naliunal Institute for Fresh water Fisheries Research
RMB, 6006, New Bussa, Niger State, Nigeria.
ice-Fish culture is an accepted farming system in Asia especially in Bangladesh, China, Philippines,
Vietnam etc. Its practice in the West African region has assumed international recognition with the
Regional Association for irrigation and Drainage, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and
West African Rice Development Association and its two regional research consortia, the Inland Valley
Consortium and the Regional Rice Research Network championing the campaign for the establishment of
integrated irrigation aquacuiture (hA) in all the countries in West African Sub-region. A look at the
irrigation system in Nigeria as shown by the activities of Ministry of Water Resources, the floodplains and
the Lowland system, one will be fully convinced of the ability of this country to be self-sufficient in both
rice and fish production through the adoption of integrated rice-fish culture in these systems.
INTRODUCTION
Integrated rice-fish farming has existed in China
about two thousand years ago (Li, 1992) with China
cultivating almost one million ha and Indonesia
94000ha (Lightfoot et. al. 1992). In rice-fish culture
system, fish are usually cultured within rice areas
protected from excess flooding by dwarf dikes.
Usually a central or diagonal canal or trench or
refuge is dug inside the rice fann for holding fish at
low water levels or prior to harvest. Rice-fish
culture started in Asia as a captural practice.
However presently fish are cultured in rice paddies
either concurrently with rice or in rotation. A wide
range of fish species have been tested in rice fields
and these include: Oreochrornis niloticus, common
carp (cyprinus carplo), Indian major carps such as
catla Catla catla) rnrigal (Cirrhimis inrigala) and
rohu (Labeo rohita). Other fish species that have
shown good results and are of high acceptability in
Asia and China include Chinese carps like silver
carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and grass carp
(Ctenopharyngodon idella) etc. Reported fish
production figures also vary widely, ranging from
I RR
less than 100kg per hectare to over 2000kg per
hectare depending on the management system
(Lightfoot et Al 1992) In China average fish
production in 1988 from 800,000 ha of rice fields
was estimated at 133kg per hectare (Mackay,
1995).
The importance of rice-fish culture has been
recognized in most Asian countries. In the
Philippines the provision of over 1.5 million
hectares of irrigated rice lands has renewed the
interest in rice-fish culture among rural rice
growers. In Malaysia where over 50% of the total
animal protein consumed comes from fish (China,
1986), the importance of rice-fish culture has
beenrecognized(Tanetal 1973). Over 1.5 million
hectares of swamp areas in Niger Delta as well as
in the Niger flood plain between Yauri in Kebbi
State and Lokoja in Kogi State show good
prospects for rice-fish culture. Potential land area
that could be put under rice production in Nigeria
is estimated at about 4-6 million hectares, but only
some 2 million hectares (40%) are currently
cultivated (Miller, 2003). Rice is produced in
virtually all the states of the federation. However
seven states of Kaduna, Taraba, Niger, Benue,
Borno, Kano andAdamawa make up half the area in
rice cultivation in the country.
With such potentials for rice production and with
the Presidential task force on rice production. the
country should be self-sufficient in rice production
and should be able to stop rice importation within
the next five years. The integration of fish
production with rice production otherwise called
rice-fish culture should be able to boost fish
production in the country. This paper is therefore
aimed at showing the traditional rice-fish culture,
the experimental systems so far undertaken and
comparing all these systems with what has been
achieved in Bangladesh and as well as the financial
analysis of successful and unsuccessflul rice-fish
culture systems. This will assist Nigerian rural rice
farmers especially those within irrigated systems in
adopting the technology with ease.
2A1 RICE-FISH FARMING IN NIGERIA
2.1 Traditional orCaptural Method
Presently rice-fish farming is not practised in
Nigeria as a culture system. Primarily it is capture
method that is practised. This is the method through
which the Asians started before going into
concurrent or rotational methods.
This is a traditional method whereby wild fish
species which enter the flooded rice paddias from
steams or irrigation canals are trapped and allowed
to grow along with the rice. When the rice is
harvested, fish are captured for sales or
consumption. The catfishes (Clarias and
Heterobranchus species) are mostly caught in this
type of system since they have the ability to move
169
from one environment to another with or without
water.
2.2 Culture method
Most of the rice-fish culture methods in Nigeria
have been on experimental basis. Yaro (2001) was
able to show through cost-benefit analysis of rice
mono-culture, fish niono-culture and rice-curn-fish
culture in 675m2 farm (Table 1) that rice-cum-fish
culture system gives an increase of 10% in rice
yield and increase of 54% in revenue due to
inclusion of fish in the culture system. Okoye et a!
(1998) was able to show that rice-fish fanning
started in new Bussa on a farmer's plot at
Karabande, New Bussa where a farmer used the
run-off from NEPA water system to grow rice and
fish twice a year. The Institute N1FFR) came to this
farmer's aid through the supply of fish fingerlings.
The trials however did not last long as the farmer
later lost his source of water. From this farmer's
initiative, Okoye et al. (2001) initiated series of
studies with NCRI, l3adeggi at their Rice
Experimental Fann, Badeggi (Niger State) and at
Iddo and Owagwalada Farms ofAbuja ADP in the
FCT and at the Dadin-kowa (Gombe State)
outstation of NIFFR., The results of these studies as
shown in Tables 2,3 and 4 show that the growth
performance of the fish species and rice yields were
considered to be encouraging.
On-farm adaptive research trials (OFAR) as
rejorted by Miller (2003) have been undertaken
with favourable results in Lagos, Niger and irno
States through extension staff of the Agricultural
Development Programme (ADP). Presently
NSPFS is making efforts to sensitise and create
awareness of the rice-fish technology through
farmer participatory demonstrations. These are
directed to show rural farmers of the technical and
economic viability of rice-fish farming in
Table 1: Cost -Benedk Analysis of Rice Monoculture, Fish Monoculture, and Rice -Cum-Fish culture
method in 675w' farm.
2. Operating Expenses
Rice seeds N60/kg
O.n seeds NI.00 each
Chicken Manure
N50.kg
Fertilizer N.F.K.
Soil Preparation
Rice transplanting
Maintenance of farm
Harvesting
Thrashing & Winnowing
Miscellaneous
Total Expenditure
Net Returns
Difference in net returns
Between rice only and
Rice-curn4ish
'Yo increase in net income
100
466.67
270
450
2,046.67
1,004
No,
243 1,215.00
1,215.00
450No 450
90kg 100 90kg
18kg 466.67 18kg
450 450
180
90
100 100
2,1067 2,496.67
-891.67
111.92 3,357.0
138.(1.92kg) 690
4,047.60
180
90
270
1,550.93
546.6
54.4%
% Increase in rice yield due to introductioii of fish
10.1%
Source: Ibraliim Yaro, 2001
lowland/swampy areas, fadama (floodplains) and
irrigation schemes , NSPFS has established
demonstration plots in many places in Ondo, Abia
States including the one in Kubwa, near Abuja in
the FCT. All these demonstration efforts are being
carried out with Chinese South-South Cooperation
experts. This is a right step in the right direction.
With the completion of the irrigation system on the
Dadin-kowa reservoir, and with all the irrigation
systems of Kano, Katsina and Sokoto States, there
are great prospects for the expansion of rice-fish
farming in the country within the next few years.
Table 2: Performance of both rice and fish
under rice-cum fish culture system at
Dadinkowa (Gombe States)
A RICE B FISH
Pond Size — 200Dm2 Fond Size: 2000ni2
Rice variety Planted: FARO 8 Total Fish Stocked: 1700 pieces
Time of planting: 4 weeks of age Experimental period; 5 months
Spacing: 20m inter and intra row
Plant population 10,000 stands
Culture Period: 103 day 8
Rice Yield: 100kg
170
Sale of Rice 30/kg
Sale of O.N. flag
N5 each
Total Sales
- Items Rich Wlonoculture Fish Monoeulttire Rice-Fish FarmiaL
Weight Value N Weight Value N Weight Value N
Kg Kg Kg
101.70kg 3,051.0
(3.38kg) -
3,051
2kg 120
90kg
18kg
270
180
90
270
100
2kg
450No
100
466.67
120
450
279
SPECIES CLARIAS TILAPIA COMMON CARP
No, of fish stocked 1000 500 200
Initial mean wt(g 20 10 10
Final mean et. (g) 450 100 800
Mean wt, Gain (g) 430 90 790
Survival Rate 70% 80% 90%
No, of fish harvest 700 400 180
Total weight (kg) 315kg 40kg 144kg
Unit Price (Kg) (N) 100.00 50.00 80.00
- Projected total Income 31,500.00 2,000.00 11,520.00
GRAND TOTAL N55,020.00
Table 3: Performance of both rice and fish under ricecum fish culture system at IDDO, FCT.
171
A RICE
Pond Size — 100Dm2 925m x 4Dm)
1(1cc variety Planted: FARO 8
Time of planting: 4 weeks of age
Spacing: 2Dm Inter and intra row
Plant population 5,000 stands
Culture Period: 105 days
Rice Yield: 150kg
B FISH
Fond Size: 1000m2 25x40
Stocking Rate; 2.5 tishfm 2
Total Fish No. Stocking 2500
Experimental period: 98 days
.
Table 4: Performance of both rice and fish under rice-cum fish culture system at
Phase III, Gwagwalade, Abuja
A. RICE
Pond Size: 550m2
Rice variety planted: FARO 8
Time of planting: 4 weeks of age
Spacing: 20m inter row and 20cm intra -low
Fertilizer Application: NKP (applied to rice 3 days
after transplanting)
Rice Liant population: 2750 stands
Yield; 80kg
B FISH
Pond Size; 550m2:
Stocking Rate: 2.5 Fish/mm2
Total Fish No.
Experimental period: 98 days
.
ECIES CLARIAS TILAPIA COMMON CARP
Stocking rate 2 2 1
No. stocked 530 530 265
Initial mean wt. 50g SOg SOg
Final mean et. 362g 240g 550g
Mean wt, Gain 312 190 500
Total No. of Fish
Recovered 371 424 239
Survival Rate 70% 80% 90%
Total weight (kg) 134.3kg 101.8 131.5
Unit Price (kg) (N) 200.00 100.00 180.00
Projected—
Total Income 26,860.00 10,180.00 23,670.00
GRAND TOTAL N60,710.00
3.0 FUTURE PROSPECTS
The recent workshop on integrated irrigation
aquacuiture (hA) in Bamako, Mali has called for
the creation of hA network across the West African
sub-region on hA and the initiation of hA in the
countries within the sub-region. This has coincided
properly with the Presidential Task Force in Rice
Production across the nation with the aim of
making the country self-sufficient in rice
production. With the reactivation of many
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boost their rice production. With the launching and
take-off of hA system in Nigeria fish production
will be fully integrated into the irrigated systems.
This will surely create a lot ofjobs among the rural
dwellers and alleviate poverty.
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Integrated rice-fish farming in Nigeria: its' feasibility and economic viability

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Integrated rice-fish farming in Nigeria: its' feasibility and economic viability

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