Mozambique: US$200 million needed to repair rice irrigation systems in Mopeia, Zambezia – report

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Mozambique: US$200 million needed to repair rice irrigation systems in Mopeia, Zambezia – report

2:10 CAT | 03 Dec 2020

File photo: Serviço Distrital de Actividades Económicas de Mopeia / Facebook

Only one of the four irrigation systems in the district of Mopeia, Zambézia province, are in full operation, compromising rice production, and district director of Economic Activities, Gilton José, says US$200 million is needed to reverse the scenario.

Mopeia, in the south of Zambézia province, has four rice production irrigation systems: “São Francisco de Assis”, “Limane”, “Chiverano” and “Paz”. Of these, only the list is in full operation and producing two rice crops a year.

The other three irrigation areas in the district are operating below par and farmers depend on the weather, jeopardising production.

José says that the district is experiencing progress in terms of cereal production and the plan now “is to produce two crops a year, especially in the Paz system”, the only one working fully.

José said that, where rice is grown without irrigation, production is three tons per hectare, while irrigation can produce up to four tons per hectare.

Mopeia has a potential 40,000 hectares available for rice production, and will engage 10,000 hectares in the 2020/2021 agricultural campaign. In the last agricultural campaign, production covered 8,000 hectares, producing 25,000 tons of rice. It is estimated that the next harvest will come in at more than 30,000 tons.

Peasant Association claims for tractors

The 120 members of the São Francisco de Assis Association is struggling to make rice growing viable in Mopeia. The association works 1,000 hectares but, due to the lack of machinery, ploughing for the 2020/2021 agricultural campaign stands at less than 50%.

The São Francisco de Assis irrigation system needs US$70 million to bring it back up to standard. Without that, farmers depend on rain to produce food and, additionally, lack tractors to plough the land. They are calling on the government to furnish means of production to guarantee encouraging harvest levels in a district where rice is the main crop.

Source: O País