MADAGASCAR – Madagascar’s rice import reduced by 53% between January and June 2024, indicating the country’s progress toward enhanced food security and agricultural self-sufficiency.
According to data compiled by the General Directorate of Customs, the nation imported only 125,300 tonnes of milled rice during this period, a sharp decline from 269,600 tonnes imported in the same timeframe the previous year.
This downward trend is attributed primarily to improvement in local production capabilities.
The decrease in imports has also translated into substantial cost savings. The financial outlay for these imports fell from 511.4 billion ariary (US$113 million) in the first half of 2023 to just 316.4 billion ariary (US$69.9 million) in 2024, a 38% reduction.
These developments highlight Madagascar’s ongoing efforts to enhance domestic rice production, positioning the country as less reliant on external sources for this staple food.
The Ministry of Agriculture has projected a 10% growth in paddy harvests for the 2023/2024 agricultural season, anticipating a total output of 5.8 million tonnes.
This growth is further supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which forecasts a 3.2% increase in local milled rice production, estimated at 3.2 million tonnes, 100,000 tonnes more than the previous season, in its latest food outlook report published in June 2024.
The efforts to boost local production are paying off, as seen in the overall trend of rice imports for 2023.
The total imports fell by 43% over the entire year, reaching 424,000 tonnes, resulting in savings exceeding US$106 million.
In addition, recent initiatives, including improvements in irrigation infrastructure, access to quality seeds and international partnerships, have empowered local farmers to increase their yields and improve the quality of their produce.
Recently, the country signed two memoranda of understanding (MOU) with the Chinese seed company Yuan Longping High-Tech Agriculture Co. (Yuan’s Seed) to bolster its rice production sector and achieve food self-sufficiency.
The agreements, announced on September 9, focus on developing hybrid rice cultivation and local seed production. This partnership includes an initial hybrid rice production project on 2,000 hectares in Betsipotika, with a long-term goal to expand cultivation to 300,000 hectares.
According to official data, experiments carried out on hybrid rice in Madagascar have produced a yield of 8.5 tonnes per hectare, which is three times higher than the average yield of conventional rice, which is between 2.45 and 2.7 tonnes.
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