- Rice is the staple food of Reunion Islanders. It is imported in full. (photo Toniox)
What’s he saying ?
He says that Reunion imports 44,000 tonnes of rice per year, which is true. But he also says that if we were to move to food autonomy, we would have to change dietary habits implied Reunion, not being able to be self-sufficient in rice we should go back to potatoes-cassava-conflore – fruit to bread. Stop the nonsense!
This is where the error lies. Why could Reunion not be able to produce the rice it consumes in the future? ?
Because we don’t have enough water to grow rice? But rice is not an aquatic plant. Certainly its culture needs water but the rainfed rice which uses the rain there still exists… In addition, the irrigation exists… We have already planted rice in the past. There are ongoing experiments in several areas of the island and the land of Reunion is not disqualified in advance for the cultivation of this cereal.
Rice is a high yielding cereal.
We can then evoke the question of yields, but again this question of yield does not support the unionist’s assertion. Currently rice is a cereal whose yield has greatly increased in a few years. If in the past it was necessary to count on a field yield of 2.5 tonnes per hectare, today we are talking about 12 to 18 tonnes per hectare. . For SRI * rice (intensive rice cultivation system) in Madagascar, the yield in the fields can go up to 20 tonnes. We are also talking about two harvests per year on the same plot.
We can also cite the experiences of Reunionese planters who also produced up to 18 tonnes ** ha and which showed that 200M2 would be enough to feed a fault comprising four people.
Reunion’s agricultural space is limited but we just need
So what agricultural space should be freed up for organic rice cultivation? 7000 ha ***? We have them without going to remove this space from the cultivation of cane **** and without forcing ourselves to change our diet to return to the daily consumption of cassava cakes as in the days of indentured labor or slavery- they were called the Cassavs. -While the masters and the hired men ate rice, the slaves and hired men were content with corn and cassava. *****
The danger can come from elsewhere.
Furthermore, let us not neglect the fact that the rice-producing countries need their production more and more and that we must react to a situation that seems irreversible to me: some large countries are stocking up on cereals (60% for China), others rent or buy grain land in other countries. Let’s not dream of competing with them, but let’s just ensure our food autonomy, mainly with rice as the basis of our diet.
Whether we like it or not, the day will come when the planters of Reunion will grow as many hectares of rice fields as our country requires for its consumption with magnificent yields and multitudes of ears dancing in the wind. Because it will come vital for our population.
Georges gauvin
NB
In addition, a harmonious distribution of the activity of planters between productions for our food, cash crops such as geranium, quality coffee, cocoa, tea, cane, and others with the reconstruction of an agro-industry necessary for our agricultural and industrial future . Without forgetting our numerous medicinal plants, hundreds of which have already been inventoried.
Notes :
* LeSRI (intensive rice cultivation system) is a Malagasy invention initiated by the Jesuit Father Henri de Laulanié and his team in Madagascar – our newspaper spoke about it recently. Let us add that this technique has now spread to Vietnam, Cuba, Senegal and other countries with a success that has never been denied.
** see the interview of a planter from Sainte Anne on linfo.re
*** According to the chamber of agriculture there would be more than 7000 ha of wasteland in Reunion.
**** We have always defended sugar cane for its sugar production and for its co-products to be industrially transformed into hundreds of products.
***** There can be no question of despising potatoes-bananas – sorghum or pinm corn – dreams-kambar-breadfruit which can constitute useful and gluten-free supplements to our diet and without ignoring the appreciable yields of these crops. For cassava, in traditional cultivation, we can expect field yields (between 9 and 18 months from 15 to 30 tonnes per hectare (to be refined)
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