The origin of cultivated rice is
thought to be in southwest Asia (Eastern India, Indo China and Southern China)
and probably also in Africa (Boumas, 1985). The major rice growing regions are
found in Asia, Latin America and Africa but the major exporting countries
include Thailand, the United States, Vietnam, Pakistan, and India (Boumas,
1988).
Nguyen (2001) estimated that about 85% of the total rice production is
for human consumption. Li (2003) reported that rice is cultivated in all
continents except Antarctica. Recent estimated by the data (1981) listed 112
rice growing countries worldwide. These include all the countries in Asia and
most of the countries of west and North Africa, most of the South and Central
America countries and Australia.
Two types of rice have been mainly
cultivated in Nigeria: the Africa rice (Oryza glaberrima) and the Asian rice (Oryza
sativa). In recent time however, new
rice varieties have also been introduced including the West African Rice
Development Association’s (WARDA) hybrid rice varieties referred to as NERICA
i.e. New Rice for Africa, which are interspecific hybrids between the African
and Asian rice. According to Jones (1995), The African rice O. glaberrima Originated from the wild
rice (O. barthill) 3500 years ago and it offspring domesticated probably in
the inland delta area of Nigeria from where it spread through the upper Niger
valley to the rest of West Africa. Africa rice is cultivated as field crop and
a paddy crop. For the Niger Benue trough, Sokoto-Rima and chad basin, rice has
been in cultivation long enough for a rice culture to evolve going as far back
as 1500 BC (Imolehin and Wada, 2000).
Rice is rich in genetic diversity,
with thousands of varieties grown throughout the world and its economic
importance related to agro-ecological adaptation, household food security,
ceremonies, nutritional diversification, income generation and employment
(Perez et al., 1987). Remarkably deep
water varieties of O. glaberrima exist which are specific to
the unusual flood conditions that occur in the inland Niger Delta, the Sokoto-
Rima valley and other flood plains of the extreme North of Nigeria. O. glaberrima is known by different
local names as Hakorin Montol, “in
Plateau/ Nasarawa area and Jatau
(Red) throughout Hausa land and the chad Basin. The ecological adaptation of
the two species may be more important from the point of view of human
selection. The O. Glaberrima
varieties have certain negative features with respect to O. sativa: for example the seed shatters easily, the grain is brittle
and difficult to mill and most importantly the yields are lower. But the O. glaberrima
types also offer distinct advantage: tolerates fluctuations in water depth,
iron toxicity, infertile soils and adaptation to the ecological countries of
Africa (National Research Council, 1996). However, the Asian rice has long been
introduced into Nigeria and is gradually displacing the African rice due to its
superior attributes.
Consequently,
local rice farmers in Nigeria have long adopted the Asian rice and some local
names given to such rice varieties based on their quality attribute and/ or the
person that introduced such varieties (Oko et
al., 2012).
The production of rice represents
38.89% total cereal production in Nigeria. Presently, global rice production
stands at 596. 5 million tones from 155 million hectares (ha) in 1999. Rice
produced in Ebonyi is marketed to state around the region and the rice
production and commercialization chain is well developed (Homa et al., 2005).