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Rice is the main staple of the Haitian
diet, with some 60,000 hectares of rice
under cultivation. However, rice seed
production only amounts to 600 tons,
barely meeting 14 percent of national
requirements. Farmers cannot acquire
sufficient quantities of quality seed rice,
which means it has been impossible to
raise production yields.
Because the basic maintenance of
a rice industry rests on the breeding
and propagation of high-quality
varieties, rice produced in Taiwan has
long retained its advantages, with the
quality and genetic characteristics of
high-quality varieties safeguarded by a
“three-step propagation
system.” Farmers have
access to high-quality
seeds, and there is a
continuous investment
in cultivation techniques,
the improvement of
varieties, post-harvest
processing and rice
seed propagation.
Having observed Taiwan’s abundant
experience, the government of Haiti
proposed this cooperation project so
as to raise its own seed rice production
capacity. Commissioned by the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the
TaiwanICDF will thus send, between
2014 and 2018, project management
and specialized technical personnel
to cooperate in technical assistance
and capacity building with the
Haitian Ministry of Agriculture, Natural
Resources and Rural Development
(MARNDR), the Organization for the
Development of the Artibonite Valley
(ODVA) and the Direction Département
de l’Artibonite (DDA), jointly raising
Haiti’s capacity to produce high-quality
rice seed.
Strengthening Inspection Systems
For High-quality Rice Seed,
Improving Institutional Functions
The MARNDR will oversee project
implementation, while Taiwanese
specialists will play a guiding role.
In addition to providing professional
technical training courses at the
app r op r i a t e t i me a nd ma k i ng
suggestions on planning paddy layouts,
Taiwanese and Haitian project managers
w i l l h o l d r e g u l a r
meetings to coordinate
on - f a r m wo r k and
resource allocation,
and to ensure that both
sides reach consensus
on implementation
in the expectation of
gradually enhancing
t h e p r o f e s s i o n a l
capacity of Haiti’s technical staff.
Technical improvements in the
cultivation of paddy rice and the
production of rice seed form the
foundation of any rice industrial chain,
and so to advance the development
of Haiti’s rice industry, it will be
necessary to establish a national-level
trial and research center, carrying out
research on paddy rice breeding,
the production and maintenance of
breeder seed, germplasm collection
and the demonstration of paddy rice
cultivation. An annual budget was
allocated, beginning in the very first
year, for the purpose of renovating the
offices at Haiti’s original experimental
farm and maintaining irrigation facilities.
The project will also assist Haiti in
establishing a rice seed laboratory,
including all necessary seed inspection
equipment and seed testing operations
manuals. Four rice seed inspectors
recommended by Haitian authorities will
also visit Taiwan to complete a round of
professional, specialized training in rice
seed testing, and will be responsible
for holding training classes and helping
with rice seed field inspections following
their return to Haiti.
In addition, Taiwan will send short-
term specialists to help Haiti’s national
commission for seed production to draft
regulations on seed production and
supply, formulating rice seed inspection
laws and regulations with reference to
those in Taiwan, responding to Haiti’s
current situation and requirements in
keeping with the principle of ownership.
The project’s ultimate goal is to nurture
800 seed farmers over five years,
generating the capacity to produce
high-quality rice seed so that annual
production reaches 2,000 tons of seed,
and thereby raising Haiti’s utilization of
high-quality, locally produced seed from
the current 14 percent to 45 percent.
Rice Seed Production Capacity
Enhancement Project, Haiti
45
Forecasted utilization of high-
quality, locally produced rice
seed
%
Case Study
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