Issues common to rice production in almost all places are; drought, availability of fertilizer, soil salinity, pest and diseases, mechanization, availability of land and support from government, NGOs and international organisation. Rice is one of the most consumed staples in Nigeria, with a consumption per capita of 32kg. In the past decade, consumption has increased 4.7%, almost four times the global consumption growth, and reached 6.4 million tonnes in 2017 – accounting for c. 20% of Africa's consumption.
Nigeria is the largest producer of rice in Africa, producing about 8,435,000 tonnes annually, followed by Egypt, Madagascar, Tanzania and Mali according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). Kebbi state has the highest production of rice in Nigeria. They produce 2.05 million metric tonnes in the wet season and 1.51milllion in the dry season. The average rice yield per hectare in Nigeria is 2.5 to 4 tons. Assuming you sell a bag of rice for N12,000 (or 8 US Dollars), and you have a farm of 10 hectares, you can make between N300,000 (or 200 US Dollars) to N480,000 (or 320 US Dollars) per hectare per month.
Currently, most of the farmers producing rice rely on traditional technology with low use of improved input technologies. Average rice yields per unit area in the country are low and range between 2.0 and 3.0 t/ha compared to yields of 6‒8 t/ha reported on research plots. Faro 44 (also known as SIPI) is one of the popular rice varieties in Nigeria. It is well known for its high yielding and good milling quality. It is long grain and guarantees optimum production under low management and can produce more than five tonnes per hectare.