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The Democratic Republic of the CONGO, formerly Zaire, is a large central African
country with a narrow corridor of land to the Atlantic Ocean. Its population was 50.3 million in 1999.The center and the northern parts of the country are covered in rainforest (but which is rapidly disappearing) and are sparsely populated, mainly by subsistence farmers. In the south are extensive grasslands where the bulk of agriculture is carried out. Agriculture constituted 58% of GDP in 1997, occupying some 68% of the workforce. General information - GNI per capita PPP$, 2000: 570
- Internal renewable water resources: 935 km3
- Incoming water flow: 84 km3
- Main food consumed: roots and tubers, maize, oil and fat, fruits, nuts
- Rice consumption, 1999: 16.5 kg milled rice per person per year
Production constraints
National yield is among the lowest in the world. There are several constraints to sustainable rice production in Congo DR: - Drought stress, low soil fertility, and erosion of soil and soil fertility in upland areas, which are the dominant rice ecosystem
- Blast and weed competition
- Inadequate and irregular input supplies: seeds, fertilizer, and credit
- Lack of small farm equipment, especially for postharvest operations
- Lack of effective farmers' organizations and cooperatives
- Poor maintenance of irrigation facilities
- Lack of a well-defined rice policy
- Poor road networks and marketing systems
- Limited irrigation facilities and their poor maintenance
- Weak research and extension support
- Recent deterioration of the security situation
Production season | | | | Planting | Harvesting | Main season,north | Jan-Mar | Jun-Jul | Main season,south | Sep-Oct | Feb-Mar | Basic statistics, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| 1985 | 1990 | 1995 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | Rice | Area harvested (ha) | 389,030 | 487,190 | 590,850 | 480,340 | 463,576 | 447,417 | Yield (t/ha) | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.8 | Production (t) | 312,000 | 392,300 | 441,000 | 362,657 | 350,000 | 337,800 | Rice imports (t) | 40,000 | 85,000 | 70,741 | 55,776 | 55,776 | na | Paddy imports (t) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 192 | 192 | na | Others | Population, total (x103) | 31,669 | 37,363 | 45,421 | 49,139 | 50,335 | na | Population, agriculture (x103) | 22,078 | 25,330 | 29,770 | 31,528 | 32,062 | na | Agricultural area (x103 ha) | 22,800 | 22,860 | 22,900 | 22,880 | na | na | Irrigated agricultural area (x103 ha) | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | na | na | Total fertilizer consumption (t) | 6,800 | 6,200 | 9,000 | 0 | na | na | Tractors used in agric. (no.) | 2,250 | 2,400 | 2,430 | 2,430 | na | na | Source: FAOSTAT online database. | Click here for a pdf of this information
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