This document provides an overview of rice production in Ethiopia. It discusses Ethiopia's climate zones, the introduction and growth of rice cultivation, production potentials, major rice growing ecologies and current recommended practices. It also outlines constraints to production such as abiotic factors, biotic factors, socioeconomic challenges and constraints to rice research. Opportunities for growth including policy support, varieties, dissemination channels and research partners are presented. Achievements in technology development, ongoing research activities, relevant institutions and the linkage between research and extension are summarized.

1. By
Taddesse Lakew
Agronomy task force and Processing and Value addition task force
workshop
22-25November 2011 Cotonou, Benin at Africa Rice

2. Introduction
Ethiopia:
• One of the biggest countries in east
Africa (1.12 million Km2 )
• agriculture accounts > 45% of GDP,
80% of exports & 80% employment
• Climatic zone:
1-hot arid- temp. 28 C- 34 C
2 - warm to hot semi-arid-
temp. 20 C - 28 C
3 -warm to cool semi-humid-
temp. 16 C-20 C
4 -cool to cold humid-temp. 10 C- 16
C
5 -cold moist temperature –
temp.is below 10 C

3. Introduction…
• Rice was introduced (1970s) and has since been cultivated in different parts
of the country at limited scale.
• Currently, rice is considered as the millennium crop believed to contribute
in food security “4th food security crop after wheat, maize and the country
‘s traditional food crop ‘tef’”
• According to MoA (2010), NRRDSE targeted production:
from 498,332 tons in 2009 to 1.8 million tons in 2014,
and to 4 million tons in 2019.
• With area increment of 156 thousand ha in 2009 to 464 thousand
and 774 thousand ha in 2014 and 2019, respectively
• Rice production potential:
rain fed= 20 million ha
irrigated = 3.7 million ha

4. Introduction…

5. Introduction…
Figure 2. Trends in volume of commercial rice import in Ethiopia (1999 – 2008)

6. Major rice ecologies in Ethiopia
 Upland rain fed:
NERICA-4, NERICA-3, SUPERICA-1, Kokit(IRAT-
209), Pawe-1(M-55)
• Current recommended(used) practices
1. field preparation -3 -4 times ploughing
2. weeding : 3-4 times
3. fertilizer rate: 80kg N/ha(Fogera)
: 115 kg N/ 46 P2O5
(Metema)
4. Time of fertilizer application:
- Nitrogen half at planting and
half at maximum tillering
- P2O5 all at planting
- (not studied)
4. Seed rate: 100kg/ha (under study)

7. Major rice ecologies…
 Lowland rainfed:
X-JIGNA, GUMARA(IAC-164) , WAB189-B-B-
B-B-HB
• Current recommended(used) practices
1. field preparation: 3 -4 times ploughing
2. weeding : 3-4 times
3. fertilizer rate: 69/23kg N/ha N/P2O5
(Fogera)
4. Time of fertilizer application:
: N 1/3 at planting and
: ¾ at maximum tillering
: P2O5 all at planting
4. Seed rate: 140kg/ha

8. Major rice ecologies …
 Irrigated:
NERICA-1, NERICA-2, FOFIFA 3737,NERICA-
6, NERICA-6, HODEN (MTU-1001), GODE-
1(BG-90-2), Shebele(IR688059-76-3-3-3-2)
• Current recommended(used) practices
1. field preparation: 2-3 times ploughing
2. weeding : 3 times
3. fertilizer rate: 75N/46kg /ha N/P2O5
4. Time of fertilizer application:
: N half at planting and
: half at maximum tillering
: P2O5 all at planting
4. Seed rate: 60kg/ha
 All these practices are not yet studied for
the ecology- on going activities

9. Constraints in rice production and productivity
 abiotic: - unable to use recommended input and other
packages- high price
- drought
- poor rice consumption habit in money rural areas
- coldness - incidence of malaria, trypanosomasis and HIV
- salinity in major rice growing areas
- acidity - inadequate water management and irrigation
 Biotic: infrastructures
- weeds  Processing related:
- the sector is not well developed
- diseases-
- very few modern processors with dehulling and
- insect pests milling facilities which also incur losses
- birds problem reaching up to 50%
 Socio-economic: - limited harvesting tools
- labor intensive : - farmers normally sell their rice at farm site to
workload on women local traders
and contradicts school - farmers thresh rice using oxen power and
human power

10. Constraints in rice research
• Lack of stress tolerant (cold, drought, salinity and acidity ) rice lines/ varieties
• Lack of deep knowledge, skill and experience in rice science and it research,
software application and data analysis
• Inadequate skilled manpower in all disciplines of rice research
• Less or no equipped laboratories and facilities
• Lack of research supporting logistics such as cold rooms, seed/seedling planters,
plot threshers
• Lack of field moisture meter , green & screen houses, leveling machines, seed
counters, small milling machines
• Lack of GPS for research
• Lack of chlorophyll meter in N fertilizer study
• Lack of altimeter

11. Opportunities
• Existence of conducive policy environment that put more emphasis
on rice as to use of irrigation and improved rice technologies
• Availability of high yielding and adaptable rice varieties
• Availability of technology dissemination channels
• Presence of land potential for rice production under irrigation (3.7
million ha) and rain fed ( 20 million ha)
• Presence of market & increased domestic and international rice
demand
• Available rice research partners and donors who support rice research
and development in Ethiopia ( Africa rice, IRRI, JICA, AGRA,
SG2000, MEDA , World Bank etc)
• National Rice Research and Development strategy of Ethiopia
( NRRDSE) has been developed and its Implementation Plan (IP)
approved
• Establishment of National Rice Research and Training Institution
( Nearly to launch)

12. Achievements on technology development for agronomy,
processing and value addition
• Since the inception of research on rice, some technologies have been
developed and are being used by farmers while some others are under
demonstration and pre-scaling up with the participation of farmers
– rice transplanting technology
– plant spacing in transplanted rice
– weeds management : weeding frequency and time of weeding
– seed rate for lowland rice
– Fertilizer rate : for upland and lowland rice
– peregrinated rice technology in lowland rice
– time of fertilizer application for lowland rice
– Bio-fertilizer study: on rice using Azolla, symbiotic green algae
– Demonstration of different rice recipes to different stake holders

13. Achievements on technology development for agronomy….
Demonstration of N fertilizer Pre-scaling up of
on lowland rice transplanting technology on
lowland rice

14. Achievements on technology development for agronomy….
Demonstration of weeding
frequency and time of
weeding

15. Achievements on technology development for agronomy….
Farmers field day on rice
technologies

16. Rice recipes Enjoy rice meal

17. On-going research activities on agronomy, processing and
value addition
Rain fed Agronomy:
• Effect of fertilizer rate on rice yield and yield components in rainfed upland and
lowland rice ecosystems (Two years: 2011 to 2012 cropping seasons)
• Determination of seed rate for broadcasted rice in rainfed upland ecosystems (Two
years: 2011 to 2012 cropping seasons)
• Study on rice-chickpea relay intercropping on transplanted rice in rain fed lowland
ecosystem in Fogera vertisols(Two years :2011 and 2012)
• Determination of fertilizer rate for transplanted rice in rain fed lowland
ecosystem of Fogera Vertisols(Two years: 2012 and 2013)
• Study on the effect of drill row planting and seed rate on yield and yield components
of rice in rain fed upland and lowland ecosystems(Two years: 2013 to 2014 cropping
seasons)
• Estimation of Rice crop water requirement and irrigation scheduling using
CROPWAT computer model(2011- 2013)
• Effect of rotary weeder and puddling on weed control and yield and yield components
of rainfed lowland rice (Two years: 2011-2012)
• Determination of optimal irrigation regimes and rate of fertilizer
application(2011- 2012)

18. On-going research activities on agronomy, processing and
value addition…
• Study on integrated weed management practices on rain fed rice production
ecosystems (upland, low land) in the country(two years: 2011-2012)
Irrigated rice Agronomy:
• Effect of N and P fertilizers rate on irrigated rice yield and yield
components(Two years: 2011 to 2012 cropping seasons)
• Study on the effect of drill row planting and seed rate on yield and yield
components of rice in irrigated ecosystems(Two years: 2011 to 2012 cropping
seasons)
• Developing transplanting technologies for irrigated rice ecosystem of the
country(Two years: 2011 to 2012)
• The effect of N fertilizer application time on irrigated rice yield and yield
components(Two years: 2013 to 2014 cropping seasons)

19. On-going research activities on agronomy, processing and value
addition…
Processing and value addition :
• Evaluation, adaptation and promotion of postharvest technologies for rice
-Determination of optimum harvesting date
-Study on Effects of harvesting Methods
-Study on Effects of Threshing methods
-Study on Effects of Drying Methods
-Study on Effects of Storage Methods
-Evaluation of milling machines and milling quality of varieties
-Milling quality of Available rice varieties:
• Development of different rice based food products and rice utilization Systems
-Survey on rice utilization Systems
-Determination of Physico-chemical properties of important rice Varieties
-Determination Cooking Properties
- Determination of Pasting Properties
- Determination of Amylose content
-Evaluation of rice varieties for specific food types
- Study on suitable mixing ratio of rice flour with other crops for various dishes
- Study on the effect of parboiling on rice quality

20. Agronomy, processing and value addition institutions
 Totally 16 research centers, out of which
- 5 research centers worked relatively longer on rice research
centers
- while 11 started recently
- no more than 4 centers worked on rice food science
research
 But even previous centers have no equipments and facilities
Discipline Researchers Technicians
BSc MSc PhD
Agronomy 12 6 0 14
Processing 4 2 0 6
and Value
addition

21. Linkage between research and extension
 Good tradition of working together
- At national and regional states
RELK(research and extension linkage) in which all stakeholders
included established
• come together to monitor and evaluate, give feedback, make
amendments whether research agenda are in line with or not
the target set by the government and problem solving
 Almost all research centers, not only for rice, established FREG(farmer
research and extension group) to work with as means of technology
transfer
 Hence, rapid expansion of rice production

22. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Africa rice centre is duly acknowledged
for inviting Ethiopia to take part in the
“Rice agronomy task force workshop”
and for other several capacity building
endeavors!
Thank You very Much!