JICA Joins Vietnam to Develop Agriculture in Africa

 Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), for the first time, has joined Vietnam in a Tri-party project to develop agriculture in Africa.

 

The Agreement of the Project for Improvement of Techniques for Increasing Rice Cultivation Productivity in Nante, Maganja da Costa District, Zambezia Province, Republic of Mozambique was recently signed in Hanoi by Mr Tran Xuan Viet – Director of Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and Mr Tsuno Motonori, Chief Representative of JICA Vietnam Office.

 

Under the Tri-party project, six Vietnamese experts from Hanoi are sent to Mozambique to provide their knowledge of rice cultivation techniques, while Japanese chief advisor and coordinator are dispatched to work with them.

 

The project aims to double the productivity and production of irrigated rice cultivation in Intabo irrigation scheme in Nante, Maganja da Costa District, Zambezia Province.

 

The Project is carried out under the Programme of “Coalition for African Rice Development” (CARD) which was launched by JICA in May 2008 as an initiative to support the efforts of African countries to double the rice production from the present 14 million tonnes/ year to 28 million tonnes/ year by 2018.