Butaleja farmers to earn more with hybrid rice variety

What you need to know:

  • Having adopted a hybrid variety which yields twice as much, rice farmers will earn more in the market, writes Yahudu Kitunzi

For the last 50 years, Kaiso was the only variety grown in Butaleja District, and according to agricultural experts, it is now outdated and has poor yields.

Therefore, a hybrid rice from China is to replace Kaiso as it gets more earnings for the farmers and improve rice production in the district.

UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), which is marketing the hybrid variety, has trained at least 1,000 farmers on the new rice variety.

A cereal expert, Luo Zhongping, said it has higher yields than Kaiso and is the better option for farmers. Yield estimates are 3,000 kilogrammes an acre yet Kaiso gives between 1,000-1,500 kilogrammes per acre.

“If people grow hybrid rice, they will earn more and will be able to fight poverty instead of growing Kaiso,” said Zhongping adding that the hybrid variety is disease-resistant, has strong stems to withstand winds and floods, and has a good market.

“A kilo of hybrid rice goes for Shs4,000 compared to Kaiso which is Shs2,000. People must embrace these new varieties,” he said as he blamed continuous poor harvests on farmers growing old rice varieties.

The hybrid rice is fast maturing. It takes 130-140 days to harvest while Kaiso takes 180-190 days.

Wu Zhingring, the team leader and agri-business support for South-South Cooperation (SSC), pointed out the new variety has also been introduced to other parts of the country.

Ahmada Naleba, a model rice farmer in Butaleja, welcomed the new variety saying farmers should embrace it side by side with fish farming.

Zebron Wedere, an agriculturalist, also noted that Kaiso no longer yields as well and yet it uses less water.

He also urged farmers to start growing other crops to diversify their farming. “Although some crops such as onions, maize and sorghum are labour intensive, they are capable of transforming farming enterprises,” he said.

Hybrid rice is grown in many rice-producing countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Brazil, US and The Philippines.

In China, it covers more than 50 per cent of rice-growing land.
FAO is working in more than 31 districts to improve food production in Uganda. Over the years, the organisation has been training and supporting farmers to engage in modern agricultural services to increase household income. It has also promised to support the rice farmers in the district with rice harvesting machines.