Madagascar: Périmètres agricoles – 100 000 ha de terrain réhabilités [SRI implemented on 101,600 ha for three years, enabled Madagascar to improve its productivity to 5 tons per ha in 2 regions.]

SRI AFRICA February 8, 2023 0 Comments

According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MINAE), nearly 100,000 ha of agricultural perimeters have been rehabilitated since 2019 in the different regions of the country. In addition, 28,000 ha have been newly developed, which should allow an additional production of 140,000 tonnes of rice per year at a rate of 5 tonnes per ha, particularly in regions with a dual growing season.

And this ministerial department adds that the effort will continue with the rescue of more than 384,000 ha of rice fields in the 23 regions through the rehabilitation of 1,027 already identified. It is also known that nearly 258,000 ha of new rice-growing areas will also have to be operational with the construction of 203 new hydro-agricultural dams already identified. In addition, 100,000 ha, also already identified, are being negotiated with the private sector to be developed and then exploited in industrial rice cultivation. Rainfed rice cultivation will also have to be boosted with 30,000 ha of new areas to be developed in 2024 and 50,000 ha in 2027. The reforestation of 2,000,000 trees in 2024 and 10,000,000 in 2027 will allow the protection of watersheds on 30,000 ha.

According to the MINAE, the country is working to popularize techniques for improved performance. Applied to 101,600 ha of areas for three years, the Intensive Rice Farming System has already enabled Madagascar to improve its productivity to 5 tons per ha in 2 regions. The Improved Rice System, applied to more than 734,000 ha, improved productivity to 3 tonnes per ha. The distribution of more than 1,500 tons of seeds and more than 11,000 tons of fertilizer has also contributed to significantly improving production.

These initiatives will be strengthened through the extension of improved irrigated rice cultivation techniques on 675,000 ha and rainfed rice cultivation on 160,000 ha. The establishment of Farmer Field Schools (CEP) and Model Sites of Rice Emergence (SMER) will be extended to 5,000 ha in 2024 and 75,000 ha in 2027, supporting a total of 2,750,000 rice farmers. The government says it is willing to give producers more productive means by facilitating their access to innovative agricultural inputs and equipment and by popularizing adapted and mechanized techniques. Thus, 8,500 tons of certified irrigated rice seeds, 2,500 tons of certified rainfed rice seeds, 700,000 tons of organic fertilizers and 40,000 tons of NPK mineral fertilizers will be made available to producers.

Agricultural counters in the districts

Community seed banks will also be set up with a security stockpile. Similarly, seed laboratories will be built and equipped at the regional level. Seed multiplication centres throughout the country will be rehabilitated and operationalized and new seed establishments will be formed. It will also reduce post-harvest rice losses by 20% to 10% in 2 years and further promote agricultural mechanization. A hundred motorized thresher-winers and self-propelled mowers and mini-combine harvesters, transplanters and motorized weeders will then be made available in the form of sale, rental or leasing at the rate of two per region in the rice poles, modern shellers with sorting and grading. Combined rice mills will also be set up in 16 rice clusters.

The MINAE also reported on cross-cutting actions, including the establishment of agricultural counters, which are service complexes aimed at facilitating and ensuring producers’ access to local agricultural equipment and services composed of several service centers. The management of each window will be defined according to its nature with the involvement of the Antenimieran’ny Tantsaha and the private sector, but the sovereign services of the State must be provided by the decentralized technical services.

Finally, a new financing mechanism will be developed at the level of the Agricultural Development Fund (FDA) in partnership with Fihariana and financial institutions, including a fund for agribusiness. A provision to reduce the interest rate at the level of microfinance institutions (MFIs) as well as the easing of financing procedures will be put in place in consultation with MFIs, the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Central Bank of Madagascar.

Read the original article on L’Express de Madagascar.