PNG rice varieties withstand Vanuatu cyclone

The rice crop survived the recent natural disasters in Vanuatu while most garden crops and infrastructure were devastated.

Rice specialist, Dr Peter Gendua said when Cyclone Pam destroyed a lot of the food gardens and natural vegetation on Tana Island, two NARI rice varieties withstood the disaster and continued to grow until harvest.

He said the ability of NR varieties to tolerate cyclone is a new positive characteristic about this PNG rice for upland production.

The two rice varieties (NR 01 and NR 15) were introduced in the Middlebush area of Tana under an EU funded regional agriculture project, implemented by NARI in partnership with local agriculture institutions in three Western Pacific countries including Vanuatu.

Dr Gendua said the rice crops were in the early stages of growth and development in the field when the cyclone struck.

He said seeing that rice wasn't affected, farmers planted more and today the interest is high.

Rice produced through this project fed several families when food shortage was eminent after the cyclone.

The NR varieties are two of the bests NARI has developed and recommended for rain fed production in the lowlands.

They are the varieties that Trukai Industries is cultivating at its pilot sites in PNG.

Meanwhile, the project has also purchased a rice milling machine for the community.

Source: Loop Vanuatu