The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
Mnaku Mbani
4 March 2008
Dar es Salaam — Tanzanian farmers are tipped to increase rice yields following the expected launch today of an international rice project in Cotonou, Benin that is aimed at building production capacity, the Africa Rice Centre (Warda) has said.
In a press release issued yesterday Warda said the project entitled "Stress-tolerant rice for poor farmers in Africa and South Asia, would target farmers from 15 African member states, Tanzania included, and others form Asia.
"The project targets resource-poor rice farmers in Africa and Asia, who produce their crop under rain-fed conditions, in which drought, flooding, and salinity reduce yields and harm their livelihoods.
"It (the project) aims to make available to such farmers improved, stress-tolerant rice varieties, which if complemented with improved management practices, is expected to bring about a 50 per cent increase in yield within the next 10 years," said Warda- an autonomous inter-governmental research association of 15 African member states.
Warda said the project would be carried out by the International Rice Research Institute (Irri) and its partners, and has been approved for funding by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through a three-year $19.9 million (about Sh20 billion) grant to the Irri.
At least 400,000 households in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are expected to benefit from the project in the short term, while about 18 million would benefit in the long term.
According to Warda the project would also build the capacity of both researchers and seed producers, and promote the exchange of stress-tolerant rice seed varieties among the member states.
Other project member countries in Africa are Benin, Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria and Senegal in West Africa, as well as Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Rwanda and Uganda.
The Irri, in partnership with Warda, developed the Africa component of the rice project proposal.
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