Second National Rice Development Strategy 2016 - 2020.

The Second National Rice Development Strategy is a national policy with a cross-sectoral approach and developed in accordance with the National Agricultural Policy and the National Agriculture Investment Plan. The timeframe of this Strategy is 5 years between 2016 and 2020. The overall objective of this Strategy is to increase local rice production by at least 50% and enhance its competitiveness on the market by 2020, in order to maximize its contribution to economic growth, employment and food security. Therefore, this Strategy lays down specific actions to increase yields; to expand the cultivated area; to improve quality of local rice; to promote innovation capacity and knowledge management of the stakeholders; to increase the market share of locally produced rice; and to develop mechanisms for coordinating the rice sub-sector in the value chain. In order to increase rice production, technology development will be encouraged and farmers’ access to improved varieties and quality seed will be enhanced. Furthermore, investment in irrigation and water control technologies will be supported. The application of improved and sustainable crop management practices will be encouraged to replace traditional crop management practices. In order to minimize the post-harvest loss, trainings on appropriate post-harvest technologies will be conducted and access to appropriate post-harvest equipment and machinery will be facilitated.