Madagascar Eyes Becoming Top Rice Producer in Africa, Foreign Minister Says

15:29, 10 November 2024

SIRIUS, Russia (Sputnik) - The first Russia-Africa ministerial conference is taking place on November 9 and 10 in Sochi, Russia. Anton Kobyakov, Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation and Executive Secretary of the forum's Organizing Committee, stated that delegations from 54 countries and 45 African ministers are attending the event.

Sputnik

Madagascar's agriculture transformation is aimed at the country becoming the top rice producer in Africa, Madagascar Foreign Minister Rafaravavitafika Rasata told Sputnik, also expressing hope that the African nation would become one of the "champions of nutrition."

"We are now the third producer of rice in Africa, after Nigeria and Egypt. So one of our main policies to make sure that we become the first rice producer in Africa, it's not only a question of survival; it's also because Madagascar used to be the granary of the Indian Ocean. And we are convinced that with this new focus in our general state policy, Madagascar will definitely be one of the champions of nutrition," Rasata said on the sidelines of the first ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum.

It is important for Madagascar to focus on the transformation of the domestic agriculture sector to address the food sufficiency issue, the foreign minister also said.

"The first thing that we are doing now under the visionary leadership of our president is to really insert and integrate new techniques of agriculture, including very resilient seeds, the use of fertilizers for the peasants and farmers. It is really important for Madagascar now to focus on food sufficiency," she added.

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Rice is essential to Madagascar's agriculture and diet, with the country having one of the highest rice consumption rates globally. Rice production in Madagascar is substantial, with output generally ranging around 4.6 million tonnes annually, according to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization. However, despite this volume, Madagascar’s production often falls short of meeting local demand, creating a reliance on rice imports, which totaled approximately 540,000 tonnes in recent years.

Madagascar’s central highlands serve as a major rice-producing region, where traditional and intensive farming techniques are used. The government has collaborated with research bodies like AfricaRice to introduce varieties better suited to the island’s challenging conditions. New varieties like FOFIFA 197 and FOFIFA 198, adapted to flood-prone and saline environments, aim to bolster production and reduce import dependence.