Togo’s Updated 2020 National Rice Development Strategy (SNDR 2) was reviewed last week in Lomé. The reviewing meeting took stock of projects falling under the strategy and their implementation level.
On the occasion, key stakeholders of the rice sector highlighted how the ministry of agriculture supported farmers, by providing inputs and technical advice. This support, the stakeholders stressed, helped boost production by 3.8% in 2021-2022.
According to the Ministry of agriculture, paddy rice production stood at 171.8 thousand tonnes in 2022, compared with 165.5 thousand tonnes in 2021. The same source added that Togo’s output is mostly driven by lowland rice (55%) and rainfed rice (34%).
With the SNDR, Togo eyes an output of 1,115,087 tonnes by 2030, up from 145,489 tonnes in 2019. The targeted volume is more than enough to meet the country’s demand and achieve food security, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.
To achieve its goal, Lomé will improve rice productivity and quality throughout the value chain, reorganize the sector’s structure, and bolster governance.
Updated in 2020, the rice development strategy requires financing of CFA87 billion. It was backed by the Coalition for Rice Development in Africa (CARD) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), requires financing of 87 billion FCFA.