Japan has committed a $3.5 million grant to Nigeria to strengthen rice seed production and improve access to high-quality foundation and certified seeds. Implemented through the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the four-year project will equip Nigeria’s National Cereals Research Institute with 20 tractors, three rice transplanters, four small combine harvesters, two excavators, four germination testers, three automated weather stations and seven drying machines. The initiative will expand cultivation of high-yielding, climate-resilient varieties, including zinc-biofortified rice, while strengthening seed cultivation, testing and post-harvest processing at facilities in Oyo and Niger states, supporting higher-quality rice production and Nigeria’s food-security goals.
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