Ivorian rice farmer Francois Kasse Yao has struggled to make ends meet with only one harvest per year before he planted a new variety, resistant to unpredictable weather conditions and capable of producing larger yields.
The grain, introduced as a part of a programme designed to increase output of the regional staple food and cut dependence on imports, allows rice growers to get two harvests per year, with a yield of up to 5 metric tons per hectare.
This shift signals a potential boost for local farmers and the nation as a whole, which could reduce its reliance on foreign rice imports.
Before the introduction of the new programme that includes better irrigation, mechanization and improved short-cycle drought-resistant seeds, farmers struggled to produce one metric ton per hectare in some areas.
"Today's yields are better ... This time we've started with a new variety, so today we're doing just fine," the 52-year-old farmer harvesting rice in the village of Subiakro, over 14 km from the Ivorian capital Yamoussoukro, told Reuters.
A farmer from another village, Hermane N'Guessan Kouame, praised the new variety's scent and flavour as well as its capacity to resist frequent water shortages - the qualities that make the grain highly prized on the local rice market.
The average price for this type of milled rice is 650 CFA francs ($1.09) per kilogram, Kouame said.
"When you plant it, no matter how the weather changes, it's always intact... It adapts to all climates," said the 50-year-old who farms a 44-hectare plot in Zatta located 20 km from Yamoussoukro.
SELF-SUFFICIENT
Ivorian production of local white rice currently stands at 1.4 million metric tons, far below the national consumption of 2.1 million, according to a managing director of the Agency for the development of the rice sector (Aderiz).
To fully cover domestic demand, Ivory Coast imports rice mainly from countries such as India, Thailand and Pakistan.
A decision by India to curb its exports last year has raised shortage concerns in several African countries.
But Aderiz says the latest investment of 330 billion CFA francs ($551.38 million) made by the state, its partners and the private sector, will enable the country to be self-sufficient in three years.
Production could reach 2.2 million tons by 2027, Yacouba Dembele said.
"We're going to make progress. We're going to go fast, especially with the system we've put in place," he added.
Latest Stories
-
‘Stop killing, raping us,’ Ayra Starr demands justice for slain uni student
18 mins -
Man stabs friend to death in Krachi Nchumuru
36 mins -
Businessman granted bail over alleged visa fraud
53 mins -
Police arrest man in Central Region shooting incident
1 hour -
Father, son sentenced for conspiracy, trespass and stealing teak trees
1 hour -
O’Reilly SHS student who stabbed classmate remanded for 2 weeks
2 hours -
Court orders arrest of couple over defrauding landlady of GH¢260K
2 hours -
Former U.S. President George W. Bush does not plan to make election endorsement
2 hours -
Kamala Harris to kick off battleground states tour after debating Trump
2 hours -
Fire breaks out at another Kenyan school after 21 die in inferno
3 hours -
Kendrick Lamar to headline Super Bowl half-time show
3 hours -
A beauty pageant turns ugly: The alleged plot to steal a queen’s crown
3 hours -
Akufo-Addo invites Chinese investors to join Ghana’s economic transformation
3 hours -
China stops short of Africa debt relief as it pledges more cash
3 hours -
Trump and Harris battle for Black voters in Georgia
4 hours