Gwaram(Jigawa), Sept. 10, 2026
Rural women rice processors in Kwalam, Chuwasu and Kanya communities of Jigawa, have commended the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) and the state government for supporting value addition in rice processing.
In an interview with our Corrspond on Thursday, the women said the interventions had transformed rice processing from largely traditional subsistence activity, into a more organised and profitable enterprise.
One of them, Mrs Sadiya Abdullahi, said the intervention provided than with processing equipment, technical support and training, as well as access to better production practices.
She explained that her organisation, Chuwasu Women rice producers group, had reduced drudgery and improved the quality of their products, thus providing more turn over.
Also, Rabi Ibrahim said, the technological support provided to the group by Sasakawa and Jigawa state government, had reduced the physical burden associated with rice processing.
According to her, women previously spent long hours manually cleaning, parboiling, drying and processing rice.
“The new machines have reduced the stress and time involved. We can now process larger quantities without depending entirely on manual labour,” Ibrahim said.
She noted that improved processing, had also enhanced the appearance and marketability of locally processed rice.
Ibrahim urged the government to provide additional machines and establish more processing centres to enable more women to benefit.
Similarly, Zainab Sani, another rice processor in Chuwasu, said the initiative had created opportunities for women to become financially independent.
She said increased income from rice processing had enabled some women to support their children’s education and meet other household needs.
We appreciate Sasakawa and the Jigawa Government because they are helping women who live far from the cities.
“Many rural women have skills and are hardworking, but what we need is equipment and support to turn our efforts into profitable businesses,” Sani said
In Kwalam community, Hauwa Abdullahi, a rice processor, said the intervention had significantly changed the way women processed rice.
“Today, we can process more rice within a shorter period and produce cleaner and better-quality rice that attracts customers,” she said.
Abdullahi said value addition had also enabled the women to earn more from rice processing, helping them contribute to household expenses.
She appealed to SAA and the government, to sustain the support and expand it to more women in other communities.
Another processor, Amina Musa, said the intervention had given women renewed confidence to regard rice processing as a viable business.
“Previously, many of us saw rice processing as just something we did to support our families.
“But with the equipment and knowledge we have acquired, we now see it as a business that can generate income,” she said.
In Kanya community, Fatima Umar, rice producer, said the intervention had demonstrated the importance of supporting women in the agricultural value chain.
She said rice production alone was not enough to maximise the economic benefits of the crop, stressing the need for effective processing, packaging and marketing.
“Farmers produce the rice, but women like us add value before it reaches the consumers.
“When the processing is improved, everybody benefits, the farmer, processor, trader and consumer,” Umar said.
Another processor, Maryam Adamu, commended the training provided to women, saying it had improved their understanding of hygiene, quality control and business management.
She said the women were now more conscious of producing rice that could compete favourably with imported and commercially processed alternatives.
damu called for further training in packaging, branding and access to markets to enable rural women to earn more from their products.
The women also appealed for improved access to affordable finance, storage facilities and reliable electricity to sustain the gains recorded in rice processing.
They said continued collaboration between the government, development organisations and local communities would strengthen the rice value chain and create more employment opportunities.
The women expressed optimism that sustained investment in agricultural value addition would help reduce rural poverty and improve the economic status of women in Jigawa.
They described the SAA intervention as a practical example of how targeted support could transform rural livelihoods when women were placed at the centre of agricultural development.
