How Governor Sule’s rice revolution is bearing fruit for Nigeria

By Ali Abare

The early sun beats down on the wide, open fields of Ayarkeke, but the heat is no match for the energy and excitement on the ground.

Across thousands of hectares, the air buzzes with the sound of activity. Men and women are busy at work, harvesting, bagging, and weighing the riped green crop that has become a symbol of a new hope for Nasarawa State.

This is not a scene from a distant dream. It is the living, breathing reality of the state’s rice farm, a vision that has finally taken root and is now yielding fruit. For Governor Abdullahi Sule, standing there to flag off the harvest, this was more than a ceremony. It was the fulfillment of a promise he made to the people, a promise to move beyond talk and step into the practical world of agriculture.

The journey to this point began with a clear idea. The administration of Governor Sule envisioned a state that did not just support farmers from the sidelines but jumped into the field itself.

The goal had two clear objectives-to boost the nation’s food security and to create much-needed jobs and employment for the people. This vision required a strong partner, and after a purposeful search, that partner was found in Silvex International, a Nigerian agribusiness company with a shared passion for food security and sustainable farming.

The partnership marks a turning point, transforming a government-owned project into a dynamic public-private enterprise.

The scale of the project is a story of steady growth and ambition. Last year, the farm cultivated 2,000 hectares of land. This season, an additional 1,300 hectares were cleared, bringing the total to 3,300 hectares.

And the plan does not stop here. With the new partnership, there is a clear path to expand by another 2,000 hectares soon, with the potential to reach 8,000 hectares in the future. This gradual but determined expansion shows a commitment to long-term growth rather than a short-term show.

But the real excitement for Governor Sule was not just in the size of the farm, but in a fundamental change in how the harvest was handled. In the past, the harvested rice, known as paddy, was transported all the way to Lafia and sold to another company.

This year, with Silvex as a partner, the process became more efficient and more profitable. Silvex, which owns rice mills in Kogi and Abuja but lacked its own farm, found a perfect match in Nasarawa State. Instead of the state taking the rice to the market, the market came to the farm.

On harvest day, the Silvex team arrived with their trucks and equipment. The rice was harvested, bagged, and weighed right there on the farm in Ayarkeke. The trucks were loaded to take the paddy directly to their mills. This not only saved cost and time but also meant a better price for the state’s produce.

Yet, the most significant gain for the people of Nasarawa State is one they will soon see on market shelves. Silvex agreed to a simple but remarkable gesture: the finished, milled rice will bear the name NASACO. This means that for the first time, the state will have its own indigenous rice brand, a source of identity and pride, connecting the consumer directly to the fertile fields of Nasarawa.

The impact of this project is already being felt by the people in very direct ways. Initially, the farm employed five hundred young men and women from the surrounding communities of Jangwa, Ayarkeke, and Agwatashi.

With the harvest season, an additional seventy people were brought on board. These are not vague numbers but real jobs for real people. They work in various roles, from operating machines to bagging and offloading the rice, gaining valuable skills and earning a living. This direct involvement of the youth is a practical answer to the challenge of unemployment, turning young energy into a productive force.

The administration has also made a conscious effort to carry the host communities along, understanding that the project’s success is tied to their support and welfare. Governor Sule’s stopover in Ayarkeke was a clear demonstration of this. He addressed the community, urging for peace and continued support.

His words were backed with action. He promised that after the harvest, a portion of the yield would be distributed free of charge to the host communities as a direct benefit. He also gave his word that the road leading to Ayarkeke would be constructed, solving a major infrastructure need and making the farm more accessible.

This approach shows that the project is not an isolated island but is woven into the fabric of the community. The Chief Operating Officer of Silvex, Abubakar Garba Ibrahim, confirmed this commitment. He revealed that when his company requested a large parcel of land, Governor Sule insisted that the community must be an integral part of the deal.

This led to a negotiation where the community was given a significant share in the special purpose vehicle created for the project. This means that beyond taxes and jobs, the host communities will also share in the profits, ensuring that the wealth generated from their land also remains with them.

Governor Sule also took time to address those who have questioned the project, whom he referred to as arm-chair critics. With a sense of conviction drawn from his personal experience, he explained the realities of large-scale agriculture. Before becoming governor, he was the Group Managing Director of Dangote Sugar, directly managing massive farms in places like Savannah, Tunga, and Lafiagi.

He knows firsthand that agriculture is a long-term game. He explained that when you start with a virgin land as found in Ayarkeke, completely bushy and full of big trees, the biggest investment goes into clearing and cultivation, which can take up to fifty or sixty percent of the total cost. This initial cost is so high that you cannot recover it from one, or even five, harvests. The return on investment takes time.

This project, he stressed, is built for the longer period, not for quick political gains. It is an exercise in accountability and patience, focused on building something that will last and benefit the state for years to come.

The partnership with Silvex brings more than just a buyer for the rice. It brings knowledge and a commitment to quality. The Silvex COO expressed his satisfaction with the top-notch quality of the paddy from the farm, which uses some of the best rice varieties available, Farrow 44 and Farrow 69.

He also noted that while the performance is excellent, his company is sharing knowledge with the state team to improve precision in seed selection and farming practices. This knowledge transfer is an invisible but crucial gain, building local capacity for even better yields in the future.

For Nigeria at large, the success in Nasarawa State is a promising sign in the quest for food security. Silvex International, which processes over four hundred and sixty metric tons of rice daily, has always faced the challenge of sourcing quality paddy at competitive prices.

This partnership secures a reliable, high-quality source of paddy for them, which in turn means more Nigerian-grown rice can be produced for the Nigerian market. This reduces dependence on imported rice and keeps the value chain within the country, strengthening the national economy.

As the trucks laden with rice paddy leave the farm in Ayarkeke, heading for the mill, they carry with them the promise of a more prosperous Nasarawa State. They represent the birth of the NASACO brand, the creation of hundreds of jobs, the inclusion of host communities, and the triumph of practical, knowledgeable leadership over mere talk.

The dream of Governor Sule to see his state actively engaged in practical agriculture has indeed come through. It is a dream that is now putting food on the national table, money in people’s pockets, and a sense of pride in the hearts of the people.

The harvest in Jangwa and Ayarkeke is more than a seasonal event; it is a seed of turnaround that has been sown, and its yield is a brighter future for all.