Importance of market-oriented research for rice production in Tanzania. A review

Abstract

Rice consumption in Tanzania has greatly increased since the 1960s; it is predicted to continue to increase owing to urbanization and changes in consumer preferences from traditional staples to rice. In this study, we review rice agroecology, its value chain, and price determinants, and the history of and challenges to rice research in Tanzania. Our main findings are as follows: (1) rice cultivation can be classified into three major categories: irrigated lowland, rainfed lowland, and rainfed upland. Irrigated lowland is then subdivided into the permanent river, seasonal water, dam, and groundwater subtypes, while rainfed lowland is subdivided into flood plain (fields near rivers), catchment (fields on gentle slope in catchment basin), narrow valley (fields on flat narrow valley bottoms), and plain grassland (fields on gentle slope in savannah grassland). (2) Various stakeholders are involved in production, storage, milling, wholesale, retail, and trade at local, urban, regional, and national levels, resulting in higher market prices of local rice compared to imported rice. However, consumers still choose local rice consisting of traditional cultivar because of its distinct taste and aroma. (3) Improving yield potential through the introduction of foreign elite lines/cultivars has been a major research target; however, farmers have been rejecting most of the new cultivars due to poor grain quality. (4) An integrated set of agronomic management techniques is effective in increasing the yield of traditional cultivars under irrigated lowland. Technical package effectiveness has yet to be tested in all subtypes of rainfed lowland. We propose a new research framework for rice production in Tanzania that is greatly oriented toward meeting consumer demands. In the framework, both breeding and agronomy should have specific research targets for each agroecosystem. Furthermore, genetic resources of traditional cultivars should be fully explored. This study shows the importance of multidisciplinary approach in improving rice production in Tanzania.

The Value Chain of Locally Grown Japonica Rice in Mwea, Kenya

“…Sekiya et al [14] reported that farmers reject most new varieties because they are not yet widely accepted by consumers; however, we found that locally grown japonica rice in Nairobi was acceptable by consumers to some extent.…”

“…As the demand for locally grown japonica rice increases, the market is expected to expand and the number of relevant stakeholders in each stage will grow. An increase in the number of stakeholders in the process from the producer to the consumer is one factor that ultimately contributes to higher prices for consumers [14,[33][34][35]. According to our value chain analysis, the smaller the number of related stakeholders, the larger the net profit of each, and the greater the tendency for the value-added ratio to increase is.…”

“…Demont [13] described local basmati rice as the dominant rice preferred by Kenyan consumers. Sekiya et al [14] reported the rejection of most of new rice varieties by Tanzanian farmers due to consumer preference and poor quality.…”

Dynamics of rice production among the food crops of Tanzania

“…The majority of the rice produced in the country is under rainfed conditions. 4 There is a stiff competition with other food crops in terms of area under production because all the selected food crops grow during the long rainy season (agricultural season). As a result, all the major food crops compete for land and inputs based on these factors' variations.…”

“…3 In Africa, rice consumption has been growing at a faster rate than any other staple food, at around 5.5% per year, due to urbanisation and related changes in eating habits, as well as population growth. 4 In Tanzania, it is the second most common cereal after maize, and it contributes to the country's food and household nutrition security. It is grown in 64 districts, affecting the livelihoods of over two million people.…”