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Rice Situation in The Gambia

Rice Situation in The Gambia. Presented by Alphu Jain Marong. CARD 3 rd General Meeting Arusha, Tanzania 17-20 May, 2010. Introduction. Rice Production Systems. Predominantly rainfed 85.8% of total hectage 57.8% of total paddy production Ecologies Upland pure rainfed

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Rice Situation in The Gambia

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  1. Rice Situation in The Gambia Presented by Alphu Jain Marong CARD 3rd General Meeting Arusha, Tanzania 17-20 May, 2010

  2. Introduction

  3. Rice Production Systems • Predominantly rainfed • 85.8% of total hectage • 57.8% of total paddy production • Ecologies • Upland pure rainfed • Hydromorphics (Bantafaros) • Freshwater tidal swamps • Mangrove tidal swamps • Water controlled irrigated swamps • Improved freshwater tidal • Low-lift pump irrigation

  4. Importance of Rice in The Gambia • Rice is the staple in The Gambia • 66% of income is spent on food • 30.9% of amount on food is cereals and cereal products • 83.2% of Cereal and Cereal products is rice

  5. Total Rice production and Demand • Population: 1.8 million • Per capitata consumption: 117.33 kg • Demand: 211,194 MT (milled rice) • Production: 22,980 MT (milled rice) • % Self sufficiency: 11% • Deficit: 89%

  6. Major Constraints to Sustainable Increased Rice Production

  7. Climatic/Environmental Constraints • Declining soil fertility (upland production) • Decline in annual rainfall (year-to-year variation) • Increased frequency of intensive rainfall and run-off, resulting in severe floods • Upland erosion • Sedimentation of the lowland rice fields • Saline intrusion • Increasing soil acidity (acid sulphates)

  8. Socio-Economic Constraints • Lack of ready access to inputs/farm implements • Lack of ready access to credit • Lack of ready access remunerating marketing channels • Poor crop management • Poor and inadequate infrastructure • High post-harvest and processing losses • Inadequate national capacity

  9. National Policies and Strategies for Sustainable Increased Rice Production

  10. Important Natural Resources for Considerable Potential • Abundant arable land for both upland and lowland rice production • Largely unexploited vast fertile lowland swamps along the River Gambia • Abundant surface water for year round irrigation within the freshwater zone of the River • A semi-arid tropical climate with high solar radiation • A growing season of 365 days

  11. Short-term Strategies • Intensive promotion of the NERICAs for expanded and improved upland rainfed rice production • An improved seed production programme to provide urgently needed quantity and quality of suitable seed varieties • Provision of ready access to inputs/farm inputs, particularly fertilizer

  12. Medium and Long-term Strategies • Improve national capacity (NARS staff/ infrastructure ) • Improved irrigation infrastructure • Improved germplasm maintenance • Improved crop management

  13. Conclusion Through - Improved irrigation expansion/Intensification - Increased production/productivity To development the eastern half of the country with its vast fertile lowland swamps along the freshwater zone of the River Gambia, into the country’s breadbasket region. Thus developing a home-grown genuine Green Revolution for The Gambia

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