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NICARAGUA, a small country of 130,000 km2 in Middle America, faces the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Much of the interior is mountainous and volcanic. The bulk of the population of 4.9 million (1999) lives on the western side of the country. Agriculture is undertaken by 42% of the workforce and makes up 34% of the GDP.
General information
- GNI per capita PPP$, 2000: 2,080
- Internal renewable water resources: 175 km3
- Main food consumed: maize, sugar and honey, rice, oil and fat, wheat
- Rice consumption, 1999: 31.2 kg milled rice per person per year
Production constraints
The following are the major constraints to sustainable rice production in Nicaragua:
- Drought stress because of unreliable rainfall in upland areas
- Blast and weed competition
- Lack of input supply
- Weak research and extension, especially in on-farm water management
Production season |
|
|
|
Planting |
Harvesting |
Main season |
Apr-May |
Sep-Oct |
Basic staistics, Nicaragua |
|
1985 |
1990 |
1995 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
Rice |
Area harvested (ha) |
40,810 |
45,920 |
62,683 |
83,573 |
56,226 |
80,184 |
Yield (t/ha) |
3.5 |
2.6 |
3.7 |
3.2 |
3.4 |
3.6 |
Production (t) |
143,992 |
120,890 |
232,456 |
265,927 |
192,962 |
285,315 |
Rice imports (t) |
33,008 |
38,730 |
52,893 |
40,657 |
42,334 |
na |
Paddy imports (t) |
0 |
0 |
1,156 |
13,762 |
3,322 |
na |
Rice exports (t) |
0 |
0 |
1,329 |
na |
na |
na |
Paddy exports (t) |
0 |
0 |
672 |
110 |
5 |
na |
Others |
Population, total (x103) |
3,404 |
3,827 |
4,426 |
4,807 |
4,938 |
na |
Population, agriculture (x103) |
1,228 |
1,194 |
1,162 |
1,139 |
1,130 |
na |
Agricultural area (x103 ha) |
6,587 |
7,029 |
7,561 |
7,561 |
na |
na |
Irrigated agricultural area (x103 ha) |
83 |
85 |
88 |
88 |
na |
na |
Total fertilizer consumption (t) |
62,985 |
40,010 |
31,000 |
52,600 |
na |
na |
Tractors used in agric. (no.) |
2,430 |
2,600 |
2,700 |
2,700 |
na |
na |
Source: FAOSTAT online database. |
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