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From this year, Japan will start sending rice experts to Zimbabwe to provide technical skills for the cultivation of the New Rice for Africa (Nerica). Our reporter TANYARADZWA RUSIKE jointly spoke to Japan’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe MR YAMANAKA SHINICHI, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) rice experts DR TATSUSHI TSUBOI and MR AKIO GOTO, as well as the JICA resident representative, MR SHIGEKI FURUTA. Below are excerpts from the interview.
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Q: What is your assessment of Zimbabwe’s potential to boost rice production?
A: The potential is great. That is why, to help the country boost its food security, we are having several projects in the agriculture sector. Food security is under the spotlight because of climate change and other issues. We are providing food assistance and enhancing cooperation in agricultural infrastructure and rice production. In February, we made a new commitment to Zimbabwe of US$1,4 million through the World Food Programme, and the quantity is about 1 300 tonnes of cereal, including Japanese rice. Asian rice is a high-yield variety and African rice is resistant to drought and disease, so the two types complement each other.
Q: Are there examples of other African countries that have grown Nerica successfully?
A: We started promoting Nerica rice in Uganda in 2004. We have also been to countries like Ethiopia, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, (and) Kenya. Dr Tsuboi came here in 2006 and 2007 to promote Nerica. It is a kind of rice made by crossing African rice, which is resistant to disease and drought, with Asian rice, which has a high yield. That time, I realised Zimbabwe had high potential. In 2008, I could not return as scheduled due to the economic turmoil. In 2022, I met the First Lady, Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, who had visited Japan to attend the Asia Pacific Africa Women’s Economic Summit, and she invited me to Zimbabwe. I came to Zimbabwe twice in 2023 to survey the country’s potential for rice production. During my visit to the country, I provided training on how to plant Nerica to researchers, extension officers, agricultural colleges and farmers. Also, together with trained participants, Nerica was planted on an experimental basis at agricultural research stations and some demonstration sites so that they would have the opportunity to learn how to grow the rice and, at the same time, increase rice seeds, which can be distributed to other farmers.
I then came back again at the beginning of April this year to assess the harvest status of Nerica rice, and I have just completed my third survey.
With these findings, the Japanese government has decided to dispatch rice research, development and production advisers to Zimbabwe for three years.
They will be dispatched as early as the 2024/2025 production season.
So, because of the irrigation scheme in Zimbabwe, we decided to plant rice here.
Q: How can Zimbabwe ensure that there is long-term sustainability in rice production?
A: Maybe it will take about 10 years to expand Nerica in Zimbabwe. In Ethiopia, I started in 2005 and at that time, production of rice was 2 000 tonnes per year, but now there are more than 200 000 tonnes or more being produced. Rice production takes time, but it needs patience to expand. However, because Zimbabwe has good soils and irrigation, maybe when I come back in the next five years, you will have rice in supermarkets that is Zimbabwean produced.
Q: What are the economic benefits of increased rice production for Zimbabwe?
A: I understand that rice consumption in Zimbabwe is increasing rapidly but nearly all of it needs to be imported. So, I hope that this country can start to grow rice on a large scale, thus saving foreign currency and improving the livelihoods of small-scale farmers.
Also, Nerica rice is very suitable for Zimbabwe, I understand. So, it could be a good potential for large-scale production here and can contribute to the change of eating habits, from sadza to more rice. Agriculture, including increasing rice production, is one of our priority areas in our cooperation with Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe has a lot of potential in this area, and we would like to see the country become the breadbasket that it used to be.
Q: What long-term assistance will you offer Zimbabwe?
A: Our technical assistance has just started. It is still on an experimental scale.
Much more needs to be done before the rice is grown on a large scale in Zimbabwe, such as intensive training of researchers and farmers, and developing a national rice development strategy, since most farmers and extension officers have not grown the crop. We have observed failure in the case of rapid expansion of rice production without proper steps in other African countries. The risk of rapid expansion is that farmers will lose interest in growing rice when they observe those failures. Also, researchers at agricultural stations here have shown great passion for rice production, and this is an important factor for the future success of Zimbabwe’s rice production.
In addition to the rice production programme, Japan is also supporting the Zimbabwe Smallholder Horticulture Empowerment and Promotion, or ZIM-SHEP, project. Small-scale horticultural farmers around the country are being trained in market-oriented agriculture and changing their mindsets from “grow and sell” to “grow to sell’’.
This means farmers are encouraged to grow according to export market demands and contribute to enhanced resilience and sustainability.
Q: What new innovative technologies could be beneficial for rice production in Zimbabwe?
A: We are still using the old method of farming rice. If there is any, JICA will send experts to train farmers here. However, according to the preliminary analyses done by Dr Tsuboi, the rainfall patterns of this country are favourable for Nerica rice production. Supplementary irrigation is needed to ensure sufficient yields. The effects of global climate change have been enormous in the 2023/2024 production season due to the El Niño phenomenon.
Agricultural infrastructure, such as irrigation facilities and water resources, will be more important to ensure food security in this country.
We funded the Nyakomba Irrigation Scheme in Nyanga, which was completed in 2020. According to an evaluation study conducted in 2023, Nyakomba has seen an increase in production, a shift to more profitable crops and an increase in farmer income. Japan will continue to consider further support for irrigation schemes.
Q: What progress have you made on pilot projects for rice production in Zimbabwe?
A: Last November, Dr Tsuboi started a rice promotion demonstration at nine irrigation schemes, three tertiary institutions and three research stations. We thank the First Lady for participating in the rice field day at the Marange Irrigation Scheme on April 12. Together with high-ranking officials from the Government and villagers, it was observed that Nerica was doing very well.
According to the assessment of the harvest, Zimbabwe has been proven to have great potential for rice production at the pilot sites.
Q: We understand Japan has plans to send rice experts to Zimbabwe to facilitate production of the crop. What progress has been made on this issue?
A: The JICA experts — called rice research, development and production advisers — will be assigned to the agricultural research department in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development from October 2024 to September 2027.
They will work with the ministry to develop a national rice development strategy based on the current status of rice farming skills and rice demand projections, and also to promote technical transfer to agricultural experiment stations for proper cultivation of Nerica rice. The budget required for three years will be around US$1 million.
Online Reporter