Expanding over 100,000 additional hectares

Launched in 2022, the third National Rice Development Strategy (SNDR 3) aims to elevate Madagascar’s rice production to 11.257 million tons by 2030.

Currently, Madagascar’s national rice production hovers below 5 million tons annually. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Minae), the country produced 4.03 million tons in 2018 and reached 5 million tons in 2023.

Minister Suzelin Ratohiarijaona attributes this increase in production to the expansion of cultivated areas and improved yields in rice paddies. The announcement was made during the annual review workshop on Madagascar’s rice sector, heldat the Ibis Hotel in Antananarivo.

Madagascar is one of the 32 member countries of the Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD), which is fundedby the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The government is committed to contributing to CARD’s objective of doubling Africa’s rice production to 56 million tons by 2030.

Madagascar currently achieves an average yield of 2.9 tons per hectare. By developing over 100,000 additional hectares, the country aims to increase this yield to 3.5 tons per hectare, aligning with the General Policy of the State. The Minister also noted that both irrigated and rain-fed rice cultivation methods will be employed to meet these ambitious targets.