Côte D'Ivoire

CÔTE D'IVOIRE is centrally located along the southern coast of West Africa between 3° and 8° W longitude and 5° and 10° N latitude. Its borders are formed by Ghana to the east, Burkina Faso and Mali to the north, Guinea and Liberia to the west, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south. The country has two principal zones: the tropical rainforest to the south and the savanna to the north. Toward the middle of the country, the terrain rises to a low plateau covered by a partially wooded savanna. Here the annual rainfall totals 1,100-1,200 mm during the rainy season from April to October. The Ivorian population was 14.5 million in 1999, of which at least 3 million are immigrants from neighboring countries. Agriculture supports approximately 60% of the population and produces more than a third of the GDP. Rice is the principal food crop grown in many areas and is one of the most important staple foods for the country's urban population.

General information

• GNI per capita PPP$, 2000: 1,500
• Internal renewable water resources: 76.7 km³
• Incoming water flow: 1.0 km³
• Main food consumed: roots and tubers, rice, oil and fat, maize, fruit
• Rice consumption, 1999: 74.3 kg milled rice per person per year

Production constraints
The major constraints to sustainable rice production in Côte d'Ivoire are

• Dominance of upland shifting cultivation
• 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 well-defined rice policies: rice has been given low priority in national policy
• Weak research and extension support
• Poor road networks and marketing systems

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