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Production of rice at Chokwe, in the southern Mozambican province of Gaza, in the 2000-2001 season will be less than 20 percent of what was originally hoped, Mozambican news reports said on Monday. Chokwe is usually considered Mozambique’s main rice-producing area, with the irrigation system in Chokwe, in the Limpopo valley, being one of the largest. However, the irrigation system was severely damaged by the floods earlier this year. Reports said there were also shortages of rice seeds. According to Joaquim Cuna, coordinator of the emergency programme in the ministry of agriculture, the area to be sown with rice has been reduced from 6,000 to 800 hectares.
The government had hoped to obtain 600 mt of rice seed for the flood-affected areas - but so far only 80 mt has been made available. The decision has been taken to use all 80 tons in Chokwe, enough for about 500 hectares.
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