Rome, Italy
July 15, 2009
Will
Benin be self-sufficient in rice one day? Experts at
FAO are forecasting just that,
and going so far as to say that in time - probably as soon as
2011 - this West African country will even export its surplus
rice output. A two-pronged strategy based on intensifying
production and marketing of high quality seeds is behind the
predicted «miracle».
As part of the campaign, a US$500,000 FAO project, due to begin
in September 2009, will help Benin achieve an ambitious goal:
that of producing 300,000 tonnes of rice - more than double
current output - by 2011. To do that, the country will have to
produce more than 2,200 tonnes of high quality rice seeds each
year.
The plan to intensify Benin's national rice production was
conceived against a backdrop of rising food prices, with the
situation made even more serious by the fact that, in common
with other West African nations, domestic output is far from
able to satisfy ever-growing demand.
According to FAO figures, West African rice imports reached 6
million tonnes in 2001 and forecasts suggest the figure is
likely to rise to 11 million tonnes by 2010.
A net gain of more than US$55 million
The best way of reducing Benin's rice import bill (it bought
nearly 240,000 tonnes in 2004, according to the latest official
figures available), would be to exploit the country's rice
cultivating potential to the full. FAO experts say that such an
approach would not only enable the country to satisfy local
demand but would also put it in a position to export surplus
output to sub-regional and regional markets.
These same experts calculate that if Benin exploited its full
rice production potential, the net gain would be more than US$55
million. The country currently exploits just 8% of this
potential, though it has more than 322,000 hectares of
rice-growing land available, including 205,000 hectares of
lowlands and 117,000 hectares of floodplains.
Rice is therefore a key product and a priority in the plan to
revive the country's agricultural sector. And the FAO project,
which encourages the production of high quality seeds while
facilitating farmer access to such seeds, is consolidating the
efforts of the Benin government, which has set the goal of
reducing rice imports as a priority target.
In the medium term, an increase in production of high quality
rice seeds should lead to a sufficient rise in annual rice
output to cover 70% of domestic demand. In addition, increased
revenues would lead to better livelihoods for farmers and would
make local rice cultivation production more competitive.
As an added bonus, the
Africa Rice Centre (WARDA) asserts that protein levels in
rice obtained from high quality seeds, especially the NERICA
variety (see Box), are considerably higher than those of
traditional varieties.
Supporting the FAO project are WARDA, various departments within
the Benin government and several local NGOs.
Other news from
the Africa Rice Centre (WARDA) |
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