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Special Reports
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The “three-step propagation
system” used in Taiwan to produce
rice seed classifies seeds in three
categories: breeder seed, foundation
seed and certified seed. This system
generates excellent seeds that
retain their high quality and genetic
characteristics when contaminated
by other species or weeds, or when
affected by pests and diseases.
Haiti grows rice as its staple food,
with over 60,000 hectares of land in
the country devoted to rice cultivation.
However, annual rice production
yield amounts to only 600 tons, and
local seed supply is only capable of
satisfying 14 percent of country-wide
rice cultivation demand as farmers
are unable to obtain good quality rice
seeds. To improve rice production
capacity, the Haitian government
proposed a cooperation project with
Taiwan. After being commissioned
by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
the TaiwanICDF dispatched Project
Manager Wang Yun-ping and
professional technicians to offer
technical support and capacity
building to the Haitian Ministry
of Agriculture in early 2014. The
Organization for the Development
of the Artibonite Valley (ODVA) and
regional agricultural departments
were included to jointly implement
the Rice Seed Production Capacity
Enhancement Project in Haiti.
By May 2014, the entire agreement
for the project was completed and
signed, and relevant personnel
were dispatched. “We had very
clear project objectives, which
were to help Haiti improve their rice
growing industry, establish an R&D
infrastructure, and improve rice
seed production capabilities while
safeguarding the quantity and quality
of rice seeds produced.”
Yun-ping describes the project and
its three primary directives, namely:
“strengthen inspection systems for
certified rice seed,” “upgrade the
functionality and operational scope
of state agencies,” and “improve
rice seed breeding and post-harvest
processing systems.” Tasks to be
carried out include “establishing a
national rice experimentation and
research center,” “establishing
a production system and supply
chain for high-quality rice seed,”
“maintaining and expanding the post-
harvest processing center for rice
seeds,” “establishing an agricultural
machinery operations center,” and
“providing a professional training
program for the technical staff in
Haiti” to ensure the sustainable
development of the project.
Establishing production
inspection standards aligned
to international standards
Budgeting was done in the
first year of the project and work
was carried out gradually in the
following years, including repairs
to hardware such as experimental
farms and irrigation facilities, training
of rice seed inspectors in Haiti,
and establishment of a rice seed
testing lab. Professionals were also
dispatched on short-term trips,
referencing Taiwanese laws to
establish regulations governing rice
seed examination processes suitable
for Haiti. Support was provided to
Haitian National Seed Production
Committee to draft regulations
governing seed production, and to
supply and establish a set of seed
production and inspection standards
that comply with the specifications
of the International Seed Testing
Association (ISTA).
According to Yun-ping, past
projects emphasized commercial
rice production, promotion and
certified seeds, whereas this project
focuses on seeds in the upstream
as this is the key to maintaining the
purity of the “breed” of rice used
for cultivation. “We completed a
rice seed examination laboratory
in September 2015. This lab would
be the base that allows the Ministry
of Agriculture of Haiti to control
production, examination and usage
of rice seeds throughout the country,
making it a crucial component of the
project.”
Professional technicians from
Taiwan served as consultants during
this project to gradually improve
the professional capabilities of
their Haitian counterparts. Yvon
Etienne, the Haitian manager of this
Project, was extremely grateful for
this collaborative program. Yvon,
who once visited Taiwan to attend
a professional workshop organized
by the TaiwanICDF, says: “Strong
support provided by Taiwan has
allowed the Haitian people to achieve
higher levels of development so that
they can continue to lead better lives
in the future.”
Wang Yun-ping, Project Manager, Rice Seed
Production Capacity Enhancement Project, Haiti
Helping to revitalize rice cultivation and
research capabilities and improve seed
production capacity
1
Interview