|
ECUADOR, on the tropical Pacific coast of South America, is a small country of 12.4 million (1999),extending from coastal plains where most of the population lives and where cash crops, including rice, are grown to mountainous regions in which agriculture is more at a subsistence level. Fully one-third of the workforce is agricultural; arable land constitutes about 6% of the land area and agriculture accounts for 14% of the GDP. General information - GNI per capita PPP$, 2000: 2,910
- Internal renewable water resources: 314 km3
- Main food consumed: oil and fat, rice, sugar and honey, maize, wheat
- Rice consumption, 1999: 50.5 kg milled rice per person per year
Production constraints
There are several constraints to sustainable rice production in Ecuador: - Irrigation infrastructure is still weak
- Inadequate equipment for land preparation and harvesting
- Insufficient control of water in rainfed areas
- Blast, hoja blanca virus
- Weed competition and insects
- Reduction in public support for rice research and extension activities
- Underdeveloped private seed industry
Production season | | | | Planting | Harvesting | Winter season | Dec-Feb | Apr-Jun | Summer season | May-Jul | Sep-Dec | Basic statistics, Ecuador |
| 1985 | 1990 | 1995 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | Rice | Area harvested (ha) | 149,897 | 269,190 | 395,600 | 325,329 | 366,130 | 380,000 | Yield (t/ha) | 2.7 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 4.0 | Production (t) | 397,354 | 840,361 | 1,290,518 | 1,042,992 | 1,289,684 | 1,520,000 | Rice imports (t) | 14,267 | 19,219 | 928 | 96,973 | 2,793 | na | Paddy imports (t) | 0 | 0 | 524 | 121,568 | 1,002 | na | Rice exports (t) | 0 | 0 | 26,153 | 54,156 | 30,076 | na | Paddy exports (t) | 0 | 0 | 2,000 | 1 | 0 | na | Others | Population, total (x103) | 9,099 | 10,264 | 11,460 | 12,175 | 12,411 | na | Population, agriculture (x103) | 3,474 | 3,585 | 3,557 | 3,521 | 3,506 | na | Agricultural area (x103 ha) | 7,230 | 7,846 | 8,108 | 8,108 | na | na | Irrigated agricultural area (x103 ha) | 720 | 820 | 860 | 865 | na | na | Total fertilizer consumption (t) | 72,338 | 67,218 | 101,000 | 172,511 | na | na | Tractors used in agric. (no.) | 7,800 | 8,700 | 8,900 | 8,900 | na | na | Source: FAOSTAT online database. | Click here for a pdf of this information
|
