With a number of farmers in the North-West province currently struggling to produce maize due to climate change and global warming, it is clear that South Africa needs crop diversification in order to promote food security.
The North-West University (NWU), together with the North West Department of Agriculture (NWDA), is in the process of conducting research on how rice can be produced in South Africa to accommodate the growing population.
On 10 May 2018 the NWU and the NWDA had a meeting with delegates from the Department of Agriculture of the Gaungdong province in China, on how they can collaborate and make the rice development project possible.
According to William Weeks from the NWDA, not a lot of rice is being produced in the country, although it is one of the top-selling grains. Asia produces 90% of the rice that is consumed around the world.
“The province and its partners are looking at farming rice in the North-West and the Northern Cape provinces, two of the provinces where rice has never been produced,” said Wicks.
Looking at the pros and cons
At the meeting Prof Funso Kutu from the NWU’s School of Agricultural Sciences spoke about the challenges that South Africa has, and the opportunities that could arise from the production of rice.
Prof Kutu said rice production requires a large amount of rain, and the amount of rainfall that the North West province gets is not sufficient. He added that our soil is another challenge, since South Africa’s soil is too sandy and to produce rice one needs soil that has a high clay content.
“Although we have these challenges, I believe that through collaboration with the relevant stakeholders we can find solutions that will see us producing rice,” said Prof Kutu.
“With rice being one of the country’s best-selling grains, small-scale farmers will have the opportunity to cultivate this grain and make a profit,” concluded Prof Kutu.
These delegates from the North-West University, the North-West Department of Agriculture and the Department of Agriculture of the Gaungdong province in China discussed the possibility of rice cultivation in South Africa during a recent rice development meeting.
