Intensive Rice growing System (SRI): need for a more aggressive campaign

As part of the effort of increasing the production of rice in Madagascar, agronomists strongly recommend farmers to practice the Intensive Rice growing System known as SRI. As described in the report of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, the system of Intensive Rice growing allows farmers to double or to treble their production in the majority of the local rice fields.  Besides, rice production can be quadrupled when the SRI’s six simple approaches are fully applied. The use of the SRI system also allows farmers to save seeds up to 80%, allowing the purchase and use of better quality seeds, and to reduce to 30% the use of water.

In Madagascar, farmers who used this rice growing system could benefit from an additional revenue of 1 200 000 Ariary per year per 20 ares of cultivated land, as reported by the official reporter of the United Nations during the visit of the Africarice delegation in Madagascar. The SRI system constitutes a highly promising option for the resolution of under-production regarding rice in Madagascar in that the productivity is estimated between 6 to12 tonnes per ha, maybe even more. Unfortunately, SRI is not yet widely used in Madagascar because, according to agronomists, it is only currently being used over a surface of 105 000 hectares while it is possible to use it over a surface of 900 000 hectares throughout Madagascar. Thus, a more aggressive campaign and an appropriate investment need to be carried out.