Bread basket of the Indian Ocean

Madagascar is looking to China to help modernize its agriculture

In a country of 587,041 square kilometers, where most of the population is rural, it comes as no surprise that agriculture plays a critical role, providing livelihoods to the majority of Madagascar's 22 million inhabitants and contributing nearly 30 percent of GDP.

"Agriculture is the primary activity for about four-fifths of our people," says Roland Ravatomanga, the Minister of Agriculture. "Almost everyone grows produce, raises livestock or fish, so even as our economy develops and diversifies, I believe agriculture will continue to be important."

The challenges of poverty affect Madagascar's farmers disproportionally. According to the United Nations, Madagascar's subsistence farming methods contribute to chronic food insecurity, with an estimated two-thirds of the rural population considered undernourished. In response to a months-long drought that ravaged last year's crop in southern portions of the island, the UN World Food Programme launched an appeal to rebuild food stores that are helping keep some 120,000 people alive.

The sector remains characterized by its small scale and poorly mechanized farming techniques. Because of this, farmers remain extremely vulnerable to shocks such as extreme weather conditions and disease. In 2012, for example, a plague of locusts infested more than half the country's cultivated land. Despite efforts to control the outbreak, the swarms have multiplied wildly in subsequent years and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation recently warned that the situation could get worse unless donor organizations quickly provide the estimated $10 million needed to keep the insects at bay.

Despite the challenges, the variety of Madagascar's agricultural produce is almost as diverse as its ecosystem. In addition to being the world's leading producer of vanilla, Madagascan farmers grow everything from apples and pears, to chillies and cassava, citrus fruits and more tropical varieties such as mangoes and avocados. The majority, 70 percent, of Europe's lychee market, for example, originates in Madagascar. In recent years there has been a move towards more high-end products such as ostrich meat, honey and foie gras. The island also boasts one of Africa's largest herds of livestock, including 8 million head of cattle. The vast coastline also offers great aquaculture potential and the extensive mangrove swamps are considered ideal for shrimp farming.

Madagascar is also a significant rice producer, growing some 4.5 million tons annually, more than all the other members of the Southern African Development Community combined, but the crop illustrates some of the challenges the country faces.

"Despite the fact that rice is a staple crop and we used to be self-sufficient, we are now forced to import around 150,000 tons a year," says Ravatomanga. "The reason is simple, by and large, the methods we use here are archaic, irrigation is insufficient and we are lacking in modern machinery."

Efforts to tackle the problem are underway. A national strategy to encourage greater mechanization in the sector was adopted in 2012, which according to Ravatomanga is slowly bearing fruit, and two major dams have been built to combat water management issues.

"Despite the political crisis, which cut off a large portion of our funding, we have built the two biggest dams in Madagascar. The first, in the northeast of the country, was built with assistance from the World Bank and was inaugurated last year. The second, in the south-west, will be ready for use next year and will more than double our rice growing capacity in the region," he says.

"I am convinced that with projects like these we can transform agriculture here so that it becomes not only a means of employment and survival, but the spearhead with which to improve productivity and ultimately the economy as a whole. Madagascar is a vast country with a relatively small population, so the potential to develop and expand our agricultural sector remains huge. Unfortunately poverty remains a barrier, so I call on all investors, particularly from China, to come here in the spirit of mutual cooperation and help us reach our potential."

Asia International Reports Ltd provided the story.

(China Daily 04/22/2015 page19)