Introduction
According to the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), domestic production of rice continues to fall short of demand, with Ghana importing over 50% of all rice consumed in 2020. This issue has been emphasised by the coronavirus outbreak, which has caused serious implications for the global trade of rice. Resulting in the price of rice greatly increasing in Ghana, from 3.5ghs in April 2020 (Esoko.com) to 7ghs per kg in April 2022 (MOFA report) in Ghana. This information combined with the data from AfricaRice which states, ‘rice is the second most important source of calories in Africa and its demand is growing at more than 6% per year – faster than for any other food staple in sub-Saharan Africa, because of population growth, urbanization and changes in consumer preferences.’ So, demand is high, and the price is high, yet in Ghana only 4% of arable land is used in the production of rice in Ghana (MOFA 2020), and producing 900,000t (MOFA 2020). Meanwhile in Nigeria they produced over 8,000,000t (Thrive Agric).
So why are so few farmers in Ghana growing rice?…
Low Yields
The average yield of Rice in 2020 according to the Soil Research Institute of Ghana (CSIR) was 2.2t per Hectare, the global average is 6t per Hectare.
Access to Mills
Once the rice is harvested, the paddy needs to be milled, to produce rice. However, within Ghana, there are currently very few operational mills to produce rice. This means even if demand is high for rice, the farmers can’t satisfy it, as it requires the mills to produce it.
Using the correct fertilizer blend
The nutritional requirements for rice are not the same as Maize, which many of the NPK blends available in Ghana are blended for. EG, NPK 15-15-15 and NPK 23-10-5, not being suited for rice cultivation.
Best practices
It’s not all doom and gloom and Ghana has the potential to increase the yields with both smallholder farmers (90% of all rice farmers in Ghana), and commercial farmers by 2-4t per hectare, but adopting some simple best practice techniques.
1- Using the right seeds, and treat them
Make sure you use the right seeds for planting rice. Contact us to learn more about the right seeds for your agro-ecology and planting zone before planting.
2- Understand your soil
Conducting a soil test on your land, allows you to understand exactly what nutrients you have in your soil. These nutrients can vary from field to field. So It’s essential to understand your soils, this will allow you to tailor a fertilizer regime, to ensure that the rice gets the exact nutrients it needs. To learn more about soil testing, please read our blog!
3- Correct soil acidity
The most important way to ensure good nutrient uptake from your soil is to ensure the soil is a neutral pH before planting. Achieve this by spreading Calciprill to neutralise soil acidity.
4- Rice Nutrient Requirement
This is the key element to boosting your rice yields. Rice has a particular set of nutrient requirements, it’s essential that the farmer provides these nutrients in the right quantities at the right time, to achieve the best possible yields.
Nitrogen (N)
Nitrogen (N) is one of the essential macronutrients for rice growth and one of the main factors to be considered for developing a high-yielding rice cultivar. Nitrogen increases plant height, panicle number, leaf size, spikelet number, and the number of filled spikelets, which largely determine the yield capacity of a rice plant. Nitrogen is the most limiting nutrient for rice production in many countries. Unlike plant nutrients such as P, K, and zinc (Zn), no suitable soil test method has been established and implemented for determining the N-supplying capacity for soils used to produce rice. So the timing of using Nitrogen-based fertilizers is critical.
Nitrogen Deficiency Symptoms: Stunted plants with small yellowish-green leaves and fewer tillers; lower yield due to fewer panicles per unit area and fewer grains per panicle.
When to apply N?
1st Application: The first application takes place at roughly the same time with planting or transplanting. This should be applied as an NPK blend. We recommend 30-10-10.
2nd Application:45-60 days after the first application. This should be applied as a straight N fertilizer. We recommend Urea (n46).
How much N fertiliser to apply?
1st Application: 500KG of NPK 20-10-10 per Hectare, ( thus 100kg of nitrogen per hectare)
2nd Application: 200kg of Urea per Hectare
Phosphorous (P):
Phosphorous (P) is an essential plant nutrient important for root development, tillering, early flowering, and ripening.
Phosphorous deficiency symptoms.
Stunted dark green plants with erect leaves and reduced tillering; thin and spindly stems; delayed maturity (and no flowering at all with severe P deficiency); and high levels of unfilled grains.
When to apply (P)?
Phosphorus fertilizer should be soil-applied when land is prepared for planting. It is recommended to apply all phosphorus before planting in both water-seeded and dry-seeded rice. If phosphorus fertilizers could not be applied pre-plant, they can be applied before establishing the permanent flood.
How much P Fertilizer to Apply?
Phosphorus rates are best determined via soil tests (see below). As a rule of thumb, we recommend 50kg per Hectare. If you apply follow our recommendation of NPK 20-10-10 at planting, this will deliver the full P requirement for rice, for the season.
Potassium (K)
Potassium (K) is very important for achieving good rice yields. Potassium (K) contributes to plants’ disease resistance, root enlargement, and thickness, leaf durability, panicle initiation and development. Potassium deficiencies have a great impact on crop growth. The correct application of K can increased yields by 20%.
Potassium deficiency symptoms. Stunted dark green plants with yellowish-brown leaf margins and/or older leaves with necrotic tips and margins.
When to apply K fertilizer?
As the figure above illustrates, it is essential to apply K fertilizer early. We recommend K application at the time before planting or pre-flood. It is recommended to apply all potassium before planting in both water-seeded and dry-seeded rice.
If you notice K deficiencies during the season, K fertilizer application will probably have little benefit for the current rice crop. So essential to apply early.
How much K Fertilizer to Apply?
As with P, to determine the best rates of K fertilizer to use, its best determined via soil tests (see below). Once again, our general recommendation would be 80kg per Hectare. If you apply follow our recommendation of NPK 20-10-10 at planting, this will deliver the most of your K requirement for rice, for the season. For the balance, we recommend that you use our specialist product Polysulphate (-0-0-15 +Ca +S+ Mg), an application rate of 200kg per Hectare.
Micronutrients:
Sulphur (S)
Sulphur plays an important role in the growth of the rice plant, mainly in chlorophyll production, protein synthesis, and carbohydrate metabolism. Symptoms of S deficiency are very similar to N deficiency symptoms, producing pale yellow plants which grow slowly.
We recommend applying 50kg per Hectare, which will be received from the application of polysulphate during land preparation.
Calcium (Ca)
Calcium is important for the build-up and functioning of cell membranes and the strength of cell walls. Rapidly growing crops in hot conditions have the highest requirements for Calcium.
Calcium Deficiencies can cause under waterlogging, soil salinity, high potassium or ammonium supply, and root disease.
We recommend applying 20kg per Hectare, which will be received from the application of polysulphate during land preparation.
It is also critical to check the pH of your soil. If your pH is not between 5.5-6.5 rice will not grow well. If soil is under a pH of 5.5, it’s essential that you apply Calcium Carbonate to increase pH. We recommend Calciprill, please contact one of our agents for details.
5- Seed Treatment
We recommend treating rice seeds with our exclusive product, Eco T, a Trichoderma based seed treatment (fungal inoculant). The treatment of rice seeds has three main benefits.
a- Root Development
b- Plant Protection
c- Increased tolerance to drought
By using Eco-T we would expect a 260% increase in your rice yields. For more information on Eco T, read our blog.
6- Other Elements that will help boost Rice yields
a) Crop protection and management. Its essential that farmers identify pests and diseases in a timely manner, so they can be controlled, and not affect yields. Demeter will be doing a blog about IPM (integrated Pest Management) systems in the coming weeks.
b) Harvesting and post-harvest storage; Firstly, it is essential you harvest the rice crop at the correct time, to maximise yields. Once harvested, the rice must be stored in a dry location, any moisture will have a negative effect on yield, as noted by P. Darkey, ‘Post-harvest, the average smallholder farmer is losing 7% of their rice yield.
Conclusion
Ghana has numerous challenges to becoming self-sufficient in rice production. However, it has the elements to massively increase its production through the adaptation of best practices for rice cultivation. Once these are adopted, and yields are increasing, the quality and quantity of mills in Ghana will improve.
