The SONAGESS should take a good look at parboiled rice 

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Fisheries organised a Forum with rice producers on Saturday  6th of June in Bangré.  It was attended by participants from the east and central east, south and west of Burkina.  Two additional hearings are being planned in other areas and a nation-wide meeting is to be held to discuss the details of price and conditions for rice procurement by the Government.

 Hence the Ministry appears willing to  improve its consultation with rice farmers. This is only to be welcomed. But it is urgent. Farmers are already preparing the next planting season.

At the Forum the Minister confirmed that last year’s support measures, estimated at several billion CFA francs in seeds and fertiliser,  would be continued in the current year, but that clear conditions are to be set for its aid. This is good news. In particular for farmers of the vast, irrigated  plains, where rice is harvested twice a year.

“It would be good to come to a clear understanding on the conditions for aid.”

Thus it is explicitly stated  that the aid is conditional. Why not? Provided that the conditions are clearly  defined and notified beforehand.  The two sides will be parties to the agreement: the rice farmers and the Government. It would surely be appropriate to foresee a contract  with precise obligations for each party.

What would be the commitments of the rice farmers ?

-          Repayment of fertiliser (and, where appropriate, seeds) according to a price and schedule  agreed in advance

-          Apparently the Government would like payment in kind, at least in part. Why not, on condition that the details have been explicitly stated? If the Government provides fertiliser at a 30% discount price (i.e. 14 000 CFA francs per 50 kg fertiliser), farmers could well hand over part of their harvest for less than the current market price.  This is where a detailed co-ordination  has to take place,  to ensure that the terms of quality and price of rice delivery to the Government are agreed jointly.

Rumours are circulating

The Government allegedly wishes to  purchase 15% of the harvest of paddy rice at 115 CFA francs/kg. Based on the 30% discount on fertiliser, this does not seem an unacceptable proposition. However, it has one major weakness: Who is going to check that farmers have indeed delivered 15% of their harvest  (to the SONAGESS, the company  in charge of purchasing the rice from the farmers)?  This may turn out to be an opening for dispute and fraud.

However, since this first Forum has brought  the debate into the public domain, I would like to make the following proposal.

First a preliminary remark: The SONAGESS keeps stating that it needs rice for hospitals, prisons,  schools and the Army .  As far as I know they do not need the yet inedible paddy rice, but husked rice ready for cooking, such as milled “white rice” , or better still, parboiled rice. I say “better” because the white, milled rice has lost most of its nutritional value,  contrary to the parboiled rice.  Why does the SONAGESS apparently not  take an interest in  parboiled rice?  In all the large rice growing regions the rice farmers’ wives are organised and capable of producing processed parboiled rice of good quality and  quantity.  Their work brings home substantial additional earnings for the  rice farming families.

In actual fact, last Tuesday I was invited to  the village of Nyassan in the Sourou valley by the four associations of women engaged in parboiling rice. They wanted to celebrate the past season, in which they had managed to process and sell an important quantity of parboiled rice at a profit. The celebration was a beautiful one, a great success. Dishes of rice in meat sauce were greatly appreciated. Dancing continued well into the night. A day of rejoicing before the start of the next planting and harvesting season.

Here is my  proposal , based on a price of 14 000 francs per/50 kg fertiliser sold to farmers by the state

Rice farmers’ associations would sell their paddy rice to the women at 115 – 120 francs/kg. They would thereafter buy the parboiled rice and sell it to the SONAGESS at 300 francs/kg. It is up to the parties concerned to evaluated this proposal.

To the SONAGESS this should come out as a reasonable offer.  Parboiled rice is healthier than the milled white rice and the price – of 300 francs/kg -  falls within the price range set by the Government for white rice last year.

If accepted, his proposal would  reduce poverty in the rice plains. Is this not one of the publicly stated  objectives of the Government?

The commitment on the part of the Ministry would consist in dispatching  seeds and fertiliser on time to the rice farmers. It is therefore high time that the discussions and the co-ordination are speeded up and that a consensus procedure is put in place, in order to avoid a replay of last year’s delays. The farmers should now make a proposal for a clear and precise time schedule that meets their needs.

Koudougou, June 13^th

Maurice Oudet

Director, SEDELAN