Activities of the IRC Steering Committee
The International Rice Committee (IRC) Steering Committee periodically reviews activities and achievements and gives recommendations with regard to FAO's support to sustainable rice production. Members of the Committee met on 17 March 1998 at FAO in Rome to review and discuss the progress reports of the IRC secretariat, the preparation of the IRC Newsletter, Volume 47 (1988), the preparation of the 19th Session of the IRC and other matters.
The Chairman of the Committee, Dr Duwayri, emphazied that rice is an important food crop in many developing countries and indicated that it is the only food crop which has an international commission to promote cooperation and coordination of national and international production efforts. He recalled the importance that FAO attaches to the contribution of Steering Committee members with regard to the promotion of sustainable production of this commodity and expressed his appreciation of their active participation as well as emphasizing the IRC's contribution to the achievement of FAO's goal.
Progress made in sustainable rice production
FAO support to national programmes on hybrid rice development was recently strengthened with the approval of the project TCP/PHI/8812 by the Director-General. In addition, the project on Hybrid Rice Development and Use, prepared by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) with support from the International Task Force on Hybrid Rice (INTAFOHR), was recently approved by the Asian Development Bank. IRRI has submitted a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to FAO with the objective of strengthening collaboration in matters of hybrid rice with the Organization as well as with INTAFOHR. In China, super hybrid rice varieties yielding 13 tonnes/ha have been successfully developed. These varieties have a canopy height of about 120 cm, a panicle height of about 60 cm and a productivity rate of 100 kg/ha/day. Field tests on the performance of super rice lines developed by IRRI have been carried out by the national agricultural research centres (NARCs), and preliminary results indicate that problems related to unfilled grains, grain quality and pest and disease resistance are possible constraints to the wide adoption of IRRI's super rice varieties in the tropics. However, there are indications that IRRI's super rice may be promising in temperate areas.
With the objective of the collection, analysis and dissemination of information on rice and rice-based production systems, a number of rice databases and profiles of rice-producing countries have been developed by the IRC and the Rice Development Programme of FAO's Crop and Grassland Service in collaboration with other technical units of FAO, IARCs and NARCs. An effort has been made to integrate these databases and profiles into a more efficient and user-friendly computer program with a view to improving the dissemination of information on rice-based production systems. The IRC and FAO's Crop and Grassland Service have also provided technical support to other technical units of FAO, especially the Special Programme for Food Security and field projects involving rice.
The international rice trade is expected to increase from about 19.6 million tonnes in 1996 to a record 21.5 million tonnes in 1998. This is largely attributed to the 1997 paddy production shortfalls in many of the major rice-importing countries. Thailand, Viet Nam, the United States, India and Pakistan are anticipated to be the top rice exporters whereas Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Brazil and the Philippines are expected to be the major rice importers in 1998. The international rice prices have been moving upwards since the beginning of the year and this is likely to continue during most of 1998 owing to the high import demand.
Although the Water Resources, Development and Management Service is not pursuing any activity exclusively focused on rice, it does give technical assistance in irrigation and water resources management for rice cultivation, especially under the Special Programme for Food Security. The pilot phase water component of the Special Programme at Bahi in the United Republic of Tanzania has been particularly successful. It has demonstrated that early nursery and land preparation can be carried out a month before the onset of rain with the use of shallow (hand-dug) wells and treadle pumps, resulting in a substantial increase in rice yields. Also, a major technical cooperation project focused on the production and marketing of irrigated rice will be implemented soon in Benin. The Water Resources, Development and Management Service agrees to the linking of AQUASTAT to the Crop and Grassland Service's rice database. In addition, the former service is undertaking the collection and analysis of information on upland rice cultivation with supplemental irrigation and is calling for contributions from other technical units.
The Intercountry Programme for the Development and Application of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in Rice is continuing to assist 12 countries in South and Southeast Asia and significant increases in rice yield have been obtained when farmers have adopted IPM. The programme has started to promote IPM application in rice and other forms of cropping in Africa. The Global IPM Facility, housed by FAO, has been established as an interagency effort to promote IPM implementation.
There is a possibility of using the Socio-Economic and Gender Analysis (SEAGA) Programme in rice farming projects and programmes. The sectoral guide on irrigation was presented as an example of the application of the SEAGA programme. SEAGA guidelines are available from FAO's Women in Development Service (SDWW).
Fish production in rice-based farming systems has regained importance as pesticide use in rice decreases. The latest aggregated national production figures for fish harvested from rice-fields were presented for the two largest producers, China and Egypt. In China, 377 000 tonnes of fish were produced in 1.2 million ha of rice-fields in 1996. In Egypt, fish are raised on
173 000 ha, equivalent to 37 percent of the rice area, and fish production from rice-fields accounted for 32 percent of the total aquaculture production in the country in 1995. The prospects for further expansion of this integration are favourable in many other countries. Information on rice-fish production systems, however, is still lacking.
Recommendations
The Steering Committee noted the potential contribution of super rice to sustainable rice production. However, the Steering Committee recommended concerted action from concerned technical units aimed at closing the yield gap, especially in developing countries. It was informed that national policy and strategies for closing the yield gap will be a major item of the 19th Session and selected countries have been invited to present their experiences.
The Steering Committee recommended that:
Review of the preparation of the 19th Session of the IRC
Venue and dates. Cairo, Egypt, 7-9 September 1998. The duration of the session has been reduced from five to three days. Consequently, the number of papers to be presented has been reduced and the number of country reports and statements will be curtailed as well. In addition, 20 minutes will be allocated to a paper's presentation and discussion and ten minutes to a country's statement.
Provisional agenda and programme. Commitments for the preparation and presentation of papers at the 19th Session have been received from FAO technical services, including: Basic Foodstuffs; Women in Development; Inland Water Resources and Aquaculture; Water Resources, Management and Development; Agro-industries and Post-harvest Management, Agricultural Engineering, Seed and Plant Genetic Resources, Plant Protection; and Crop and Grassland. International institutions that have submitted papers include IRRI, the West Africa Rice Development Association, the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture, the International Irrigation Management Institute, and FAO/International Atomic Energy Agency. Regional offices and networks presenting papers include the FAO Regional Offices for Asia and the Pacific, for Africa and for Latin America and the Caribbean as well as the Mediterranean Rice Research Network (MED-RICE). Contacts have been made for selected case studies on rice policies in Indonesia and Viet Nam for Asia; Egypt, Benin and Nigeria for Africa; and Brazil and Cuba for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Participation and documentation.
Contribution from host country. In addition to providing the conference facilities, the Egyption Government has offered to organize, free of charge, field trips for the participants to visit farmers' fields, rice mill plants and rice research programme activities in Sakha. Jointly with FAO, it is also organizing a cocktail party on the evening of 7 September.
Recommendations
The Steering Committee recommended that:
Other matters
Activités du Comité directeur de la CIR
La réunion a examiné les activités de la FAO en matière de riz durant les six derniers mois, comme suit: tout d'abord, le Comité a examiné le programme sur le riz hybride, qui a permis de formuler et de mettre en œuvre un nouveau projet TCP/PHI/8812. De plus, le projet concernant l'utilisation et la mise au point de riz hybride préparé par l'IRRI, en collaboration avec la FAO dans le cadre de l'Equipe spéciale internationale sur le riz hybride (INTAFOHR), a été approuvé récemment par la Banque asiatique de développement (BAsD). En collaboration avec les unités techniques de la FAO, les Centres internationaux de recherche agronomique (CIRA) et les Systèmes nationaux de recherche agricole (SNRA), la Commission a créé un certain nombre de bases de données contenant des informations sur le riz et des profils de pays producteurs. On a signalé que le volume du commerce international devrait passer d'environ 19,6 millions de tonnes de riz usiné en 1996 au niveau record de 21,5 millions de tonnes en 1998. AGLW a entrepris la collecte et l'analyse d'informations sur la culture de riz pluvial avec irrigation de complément. La FAO a encouragé récemment l'application de techniques de PI pour le riz et d'autres cultures en Afrique. Il serait possible d'appliquer le Programme d'analyse des questions socioéconomiques et des conditions spécifiques de chaque sexe (SEAGA) dans les projets et les programmes de riziculture. Le guide sectoriel sur l'irrigation a été présenté comme un exemple de l'application du SEAGA. Enfin, la pisciculture dans les systèmes agricoles basés sur le riz a repris de l'importance car l'emploi de pesticides dans les cultures de riz diminue. En Chine, 377 000 tonnes de poisson ont été produites dans 1,2 million d'hectares de rizières en 1996. L'Egypte a pratiqué la pisciculture sur 173 000 ha soit 37 pour cent de la superficie totale des rizières en 1995.
Le Comité a approuvé le contenu du Bulletin de la CIR, volume 47 (1998). Il a également passé en revue les préparatifs de la dix-neuvième session de la CIR qui sera organisée par la FAO au Caire (Egypte) du 7 au 9 septembre 1998.
Actividades del Comité directivo de la CIA
En la reunión se examinaron las actividades realizadas por la FAO en los últimos seis meses en relación con el arroz. En primer lugar, el Comité examinó el programa sobre el arroz híbrido, en el marco del cual se formuló y aplicó el nuevo proyecto TCP/PHI/8812. Por otra parte, el Banco Asiático de Desarrollo había aprobado recientemente el proyecto sobre Desarrollo y utilización de arroz híbrido, preparado por el IRRI en colaboración con la FAO, en el contexto del Grupo de Acción Internacional sobre el Arroz Híbrido (INTAFOHR). En colaboración con dependencias técnicas de la FAO, de los Centros internacionales de investigación agrícola y el Sistema nacional de investigaciones agronómicas, la Comisión ha elaborado varias bases de datos con información sobre el arroz y perfiles de países productores de arroz. Se informó de que se preveía que el comercio internacional del arroz aumentaría de 19,6 millones de toneladas de arroz elaborado en 1996 hasta un volumen sin precedente de 21,5 millones de toneladas pronosticado para 1998. El Servicio de Recursos, Fomento y Aprovechamiento de Aguas de la FAO está procediendo a recoger análisis e información sobre cultivo de arroz de tierras altas con riego complementario. La FAO ha promovido recientemente la aplicación del manejo integrado de plagas al arroz y otros cultivos en Africa. Existe la posibilidad de utilizar el programa de análisis socioeconómico y de género en proyectos y programas sobre el cultivo del arroz. Se presentó la guía sectorial sobre riego como ejemplo de la aplicación de este análisis. Por último, se señaló que la piscicultura en sistemas de cultivo basados en el arroz había cobrado más importancia al disminuir la utilización de plaguicidas en el arroz. En China, en 1996 se habían producido 377 000 toneladas de pescado en 1,2 millones de ha de arrozales. Egipto había cultivado peces en 173 000 ha, es decir el 37 por ciento de la superficie total destinada al arroz en 1995.
El Comité aprobó el contenido del volumen 47 del Noticiario de la CIA (1998). También examinó y debatió los preparativos de la 19ª reunión de la CIA, que será organizada por la FAO en El Cairo, Egipto, del 7 al 9 de septiembre de 1998.
