Status of Rice Cultivation and Breeding in Senegal

Rice consumption in Senegal is rapidly increasing due to consumer preferences for rice and urbanization. Despite having a great potential to increase rice production on account of its vast irrigated areas in the Senegal River Valley and the rainfed and upland areas in the Casamance region, Senegal still relies on imported rice to supplement around 44% of rice demand in a year. Rice production in Senegal has been heavily affected by several biological and institutional constraints, including drought, salt, cold, iron toxicity, and diseases and pest. In terms of rice research and development, Senegal has a well-established rice breeding system for varietal development and releasing them to farmers. Since 1994, the country has developed a total of 60 rice varieties in collaboration with international organizations. However, for further improvement of grain yield and quality, this paper proposes the use of Japonica germplasm based on the empirical evidence from the green revolution of IRRI and Korea.