Rwanda Agriculture Board (Rab), in partnership with Chinese Agricultural Technology Centre, has come up with a rice variety that can be grown on upland as an alternative to that grown in marshlands.

The variety has potential to grow in dry areas, as its growth depends on weather patterns like other crops as opposed to the usual variety that requires constant supply of water.

Once fully developed, the new rice variety will add to the current rice production which stands at 55,000 metric tonnes per year, according to Rab officials.

The Deputy Director General in charge of Agriculture Extension and Mechanisation at Rab, Telesphore Ndabamenye, said they are commited  to boosting rice productivity in the country.

"Research and trials on upland rice have been ongoing for three years at the Rab-owned research stations of Mututu, Nyanza and Rubona, all in Huye District, and its 27 varieties proved to yield up to 7.5 tonnes of rice per hectare,” he said.

Upland rice is harvested after four to five months, unlike the six months it takes for one to harvest marshland rice.

"Trials to see how the varieties adapt to land are under- way. We shall also  continue to educate farmers, through cooperatives, on how rice can be grown in an environment out of the wetland. This will take one year and we will be ready to roll out,” Ndabamenye said.

Generally, the marshland rice variety has potential to produce seven tonnes per hectare. On average, Rwanda produces 5.5-5.8 tonnes per hectare.

"There are climatic conditions which are beyond our control, but the potential rice produce has to be seven or eight tonnes depending on the variety in question,” Ndabamenye said.

He said rice agriculture extension had been improved and rice growing cooperatives were reinforcing their organisation to ensure increase in rice output.

"We want to reinforce the programme to increase  rice production in the country. We want to avail many farmers with the upland rice variety,” Ndabamenye said.

Théogène Gahima, the president of Twibumbe, a conglomerate of 11 rice growing cooperatives in Rwamagana, Kayonza and Ngoma districts, said they produce between 1,700 and 2,000 tonnes per season (six months). He said upland rice can help them increase their tonnage.

"If we get the variety that can be grown on land surrounding the marshlands, we can get about 4,000 tonnes per ha,” he said.

Innocent Ukizuru, an agronomist in Rwamagana District, said the new varieties would help meet rice demand as well as reduce production cost.

"We have very few marshlands. The cost of growing rice on marshlands is high given the requirement required, including valley dams,” he said.

However, Jean Bunane, the head of rice programme at Rab, said Rwanda has around 14,000 hactares of marshlands on which to grow rice.

 "There is need to increase the acreage to meet the current demand,” Bunane said.

He said Rab has rice varieties that can produce up to nine tonnes per ha but, the produce is cut short to five tonnes due to lack of poor farming methods.

"Rice has to be nurtured from land preparation, right and timely fertilizer application, weeded thrice a season, and ensure proper disease control and management,” he said.

Currently, Rwanda imports about 40,000 tonnes of rice per year. Rab wants to increase rice production to 65,000 tonnes annually by 2017.