Stichting Nationaal Rijstonderzoeks Instituut
Anne van Dijk Rijst Onderzoekscentrum Nickerie
Rice Production and Research in
Suriname
Jerry Tjoe Awie
Plant breeder
February 2012

Country Profile
Total area (km2) 163,000
Total population (2008) 495,000
Population density (no./km2) 3.0
Agricultural share in GDP (%) 9
Arable land (ha x 103) 1,555
Area in production (ha x 103) 87
Physical Rice area (ha x 103) 51
Average rice yield (t/ha, wet), 2010 4.9
Paddy production (t x 103), 2010 254
Rice export (t x 103), 2010 89
Rice export (US$ x 106), 2010 37.6

Importance of the rice industry
Staple food + others (40,000 tons/year)
Employment (at least 5,000)
Export earnings (US$ 37.5 million in 2010)
Savings by supply domestic use (US$ 25
million)
Spin-off effects (retail, transport, service
providers, etc.)

The size of the rice industry
About 51,000 hectares available land
Approximately 1,000 to 1,500 farmers
7 local banks
20 mills of which 7 are ISO-22000 certified
350,000 tons/season drying capacity
110,000 tons storing capacity
120 ton/hour husking capacity
70 ton/hour milling capacity

The size (continued)
5 input suppliers
2 harbours (export facilities)
1 waterpumping station (Wakay)
1 rice research station (ADRON)

Actual situation
Area: 28,000 hectare/season
Yield: 5 ton/ha
Volume: 250,000 ton wet padie
Milling outturn: 68 – 72%
Red rice: 1-2 %
Chalkiness: 1-1.5%
Export: 89,000 ton in 2010

Area, yield and export
300,000
250,000
200,000
Area (ha)
150,000
Yield (ton, wet)
Export (ton)
100,000
50,000
0
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Marketing (export to different regions)

Average yield (t/ha)
5.3
5.2
5.1
5
4.9
4.8
Average yield (t/ha, wet)
4.7
4.6
4.5
4.4
4.3
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Characteristics of the Surinamese rice sector
Very fertile soils
Sufficient water of very good quality
Two seasons per year
Direct seeded rice production system
A tradition of high-tech rice production
Processing according to ISO-22000 standards
A very enterprising production community

Sufficient water

High Tech production

Enterprising farmers

Processing according to ISO-22000

Main objectives
Rice industry:
Increase productivity
Improve quality
Reduce cost
ADRON:
Applied rice research and basic seed
production.

Rice Breeding in Suriname
Rice Breeding started in 1953 and the
Foundation for Mechanized Agriculture
released in the period 1953-1994, 30 varieties
In 1994 the Foundation for Rice Research was
founded and took over the breeding activities
in rice. Between 1994 and 2009, its Research
Centre ADRON released 7 varieties, which
cover more than 90% of the total rice
cultivated area

Rice Breeding in Suriname
 Target breeding environment Tropical low land irrigated rice ecosystem
 Breeding institution 1
 Number of scientists working 1
on rice breeding
 Major breeding goals extra long slender grain (brown rice >
7.5 mm)
excellent cooking quality (dry cooking,
non sticky, soft texture, no or very low
chalk)
excellent milling outturn (HRY > 55%)
good yield (in farmers’ fields > 8 t/ha)
disease resistance (especially blast and
sheath blight)

# Variety Pedigree Ecosystem Institution Year released
1 ALUPI SML 77A/DIMA irrigated SML 1960
2 MATAPI SML 329/SML 131-1-1-1 irrigated SML 1963
3 TEMERIN SML 81B /LACROSSE //SML 81B irrigated SML 1965
4 KAPURI SML 329/SML 131-1-1-1 irrigated SML 1967
5 APURA SML 140-10 /VENEZUELA 503 irrigated SML 1964
6 GALIBI VENEZUELA 555/CUBA 65 irrigated SML 1965
7 AWINI T(N)1 //3* SML 457-1 irrigated SML 1971
8 ACORNI SML 1114/MAGALI irrigated SML 1971
9 BOEWANI SML 1105/SML 242 irrigated SML 1972
10 APANI SML 66H10/MAGALI irrigated SML 1971
11 CIWINI SML 66H11/WASHABO irrigated SML 1974
12 DIWANI IR 454-17-1-1/WASHABO irrigated SML 1976
13 CEYSVONI SML 997/SML 1144 irrigated SML 1974
14 CAMPONI SML 68023/SML 1010 irrigated SML 1974
15 ELONI SML 68105/SML 66H10 irrigated SML 1979
16 FERRINI SML 80034/SML 78002-5 irrigated SML 1990
17 GROVENI SML 79019-4/SML 80034-15 irrigated SML 1994
18 ADRON-101 selection from bulk population irrigated ADRON 1999
19 ADRON-102 selection from bulk population irrigated ADRON 1999
20 ADRON-111 selection from bulk population irrigated ADRON 2000
21 ADRON-117 ELONI/BR444 irrigated ADRON 2004
22 ADRON-125 RCN-B-93-216/WAB 450-I-B-P-163-4-1 irrigated ADRON 2004
23 ADRON-128 ADRON-102/ADRON-111 irrigated ADRON 2010
24 ADRON-130 ADRON-101/ADRON-111 irrigated ADRON 2010

Breeding objectives
Improving:
Yield
Resistance to pest and diseases
Cooking and grain quality
Agronomic characteristics (e.g. lodging
resistance, threshibility)

Breeding methods
• Pedigree nursery method
• Single crosses
• Top crosses
• No MAS

Genetic progress for yields, grain quality and
reaction to pest and diseases
• Short duration varieties (100 days) with
same or better yield than longer duration
varieties (120 days)
• Chalkiness reduced
• Milling outturn increased
• However, lately more incidence of pests
(whorl maggot) and diseases (blast and
sheath blight) observed

New improvement challenges
• Disease resistance
• Pest resistance
• Cooking quality
• Milling quality

Thank
You