Mozambique

General Information

· Main climates: Tropical Wet and Dry, Tropical Steppe and Semiarid, Tropical Wet and Dry at 600 m above sea

· Total land area: 78 409 000 ha

· Internal renewable water resources: 100 km³

· Incoming water flow: 116 km³

· GNP per capita, 1998: PPP$ 740

· Main food consumed: Roots & tubers, Maize, Oil & fat, Millet & sorghum, Rice

· Rice supply, 1999: 11.3 kg paddy/capita/year

Basic Statistics

Producing Zones and Cropping Seasons

The following table shows the harvested areas from different producing zones.

Most of rice crops are planting during the rainy season.

Production Practices

The following figure shows the harvested areas from different ecologies during the last five years.

Irrigated rice is found mostly in Chokwe and smaller irrigated schemes between Maputo and Chokwe. Mechanised land preparation, direct seeding, application of high rate of fertilizer and combined harvested were the main characteristics of the irrigated rice production in Chokwe in the past. The level of mechanisation and the rate of fertilizer application have been greatly reduced in recently. Also, farmers are increasing adopted transplanting as method of crop establishment.

Upland rice is grown as a mono-crop or as in a mixture with other food crops following the slash-and-burn shifting cultivation almost without any application of chemical fertilizer and other ago-chemical. Similarly in rainfed lowland systems, rice production follows traditional practices with minimum input application. Upland and rainfed lowland rice farmers do not have appropriate tools and equipment. A number of improved rice varieties have been released for cultivation.

The following table shows the rice responses to fertilizer application.

Constraints and Issues of Sustainable Production

There are several constraints to sustainable rice production in Mozambique. Following are the majors:

• Drought and flash flood in rainfed lowland areas due to irregular weather

• Salinity in many irrigated areas

• Poor maintenance of irrigation facilities

• Lack of pure and good seeds

• Inadequate and Irregular input supplies: seeds, fertilizer and credit

• Lack of small farm equipment

• Lack of effective farmer organization and co-operative

• Poor road networks and marketing systems

• Lack of a well-defined rice policy

• Weak research and extension support

Sustainable rice production would depend greatly on appropriate policy to provide support regarding fertilizer supply to farmers and the development of lowland rice production with improved water control.

Research and Development Institutes

· Boror Distribuidora P.O. Box 4 Maputo Telex: 6456 BOROR

· Instituto Nacional de Investigacao Agronomica C.P. 1733 Maputo

· Instituto Nacional de Investigacao Agronomica, Av. Forcas Populares 3856, Maputo, Mozambique; Tel 460097/100; Fax 460074

· Laboratorio de Sementes Direccao Nacional de Agricultura P.O. Box 2219 Maputo

· Sementes de Mocambique C.P. 2402 Av. das FPLM 1864 Maputo Phone: 426051 Telex: 6166 SEEDS MO Fax: 33148

· Sementes de Mozambique, Lda., C.P. 2402 Maputo, Mozambique.

· Servico Nacional de Sementes P.O. Box 3658 Maputo Phone: 30091