Rice Latin America
085
Muchnik de Rubinstein, Eugenia. 1984. The diffusion and economic impact of
high-yielding semi-dwarf rice varieties in Latin America. Centro Internacional de
Agricultura Tropical. Cali (Colombia). Working paper. 57 h. (En). (HD 9066 .M825)
Rice variety CICA 4 was released in Colombia in 1971, prompting the
widespread dissemination of other new, highly productive, semidwarf varieties. This study,
carried out in 1994, describes the status of Latin America's rice production and the
effect of new technologies on the offer of this cereal, and discusses the evolution of
rice production, consumption, and marketing in the region. A cost-benefit analysis was
also conducted on investment in research. An estimated 9 percent of calories consumed by
Latin Americans comes from rice. The relative calorie consumption from rice (percentages
in parentheses) varies among countries: Panama (23), the Dominican Republic (20), Cuba
(18), Brazil (16), Costa Rica (15), Colombia (13), and Peru (12). According to their price
policies, different countries have established support prices for paddy rice. FAO
statistics indicate that, in the 1970s, prices remained constant or increased slightly
because of increased exports. Between 1965 and 1982, rice consumption in Latin America
increased from 6.5 to 10.9 million tons. During that same period, per capita annual
consumption in tropical America rose from 25 kg to 41 kg and, in the Caribbean region,
from 27 kg to 35 kg. The countries with highest rice production (production percentages in
parentheses) are: Brazil (57), Colombia (12), Venezuela (4), and Peru (3.9). The area
planted to rice in Latin America is divided among irrigated rice (2.1 million ha), rainfed
rice (0.4 million ha), and savannas (0.41 million ha). Estimates for 1974 indicate that 91
percent of the rice planted in Colombia were highly productive, semidwarf varieties; in
Latin America, the area planted to these varieties was 800,000 ha. The internal rate of
return of rice research in Colombia was 94 percent for the period 1957-1974.
086
Sanint, Luis Roberto. 1996. Impact of rice research in Latin America and the
Caribbean during the past three decades. [s.n.]. Bangkok (Thailand). 18 h. (En).
(SB 191 .R5 S264)
The past three decades have resulted in strong national rice improvement
programs, high yielding rice varieties on farmers' fields, and networks of germplasm
improvement and related information linked, via CIAT, to the premier upstream research
resource, IRRI. The main beneficiaries of the technological innovations have been the
consumers, with an annualized flow of benefits (discounted at 3 percent per year) of
US$518 million. Producers have received great benefits as a group with US$340 million per
year. But it has been the irrigated system the one that has received the benefits of
research (US$437 million per year), while the other ecosystems have been adversely
affected by the rapid gains in the irrigated sector. All these ecosystems had net annual
losses of US$9 million in rainfed, US$70 million in mechanized upland and US$5 million in
manual upland. With productivity gains in irrigated rice, prices have decreased, making
upland rice less competitive and reducing the economic incentive to open new rice lands in
those upland ecosystems. Productivity gains in irrigated rice have played a role of
release valve for the more fragile ecosystems of the forest margins and the savannas. The
future of rice research holds exciting challenges and opportunities. Rice research aims to
make significant contributions to environmental goals and reduction of agrichemical use,
as well as in feeding people through devoting its efforts to the development of improved
rice gene pools and integrated crop management. Rice research plays and important role in
the development of agropastoral protocols for the savannas adjoining the margins of the
rain forest in tropical America. Breeding to develop germplasm adapted to the acid soils
savannas and the understanding of rice/pasture associations will lead to a more
sustainable rice production in this ecosystem and a more rational use of pesticides. As a
result of recent strategic changes in international donors national organizations of LAC,
together with CIAT and IRRI, have created the Latin American Irrigated Rice Fund (FLAR).
The could ensure continuity in irrigated rice research activities at the regional level.
This process clearly shows that Latin American rice producers are aware of the value and
innovation of new technologies.
087
Sanint, Luis Roberto. 1992. New rice technologies for Latin America : social
benefits, past reminiscences and issues for the future. Trends in CIAT
Commodities (CIAT) (no.111) p. 1-35 En.
A salient feature in rice since the mid-1960's has been the development
and diffusion of modern rice varieties, which have had a profound impact on the developing
economies of the world (IRRI, 1978). By 1990, of a total of 18.4 million tons of paddy
rice produced in Latin America and the Caribbean, irrigated rice contributed with 11
million tons, or 60 percent of rice production and with 33 percent of the total area,
which reached 7.3 million hectares. About 85 percent of irrigated production comes from
the new varieties. Rainfed lowlands and upland rice, as a group, have adopted them in less
than 15 percent of their areas. New lines for acid savannas have been developed to
tolerate low input conditions, but they also respond well to fertilizers, particularly
nitrogen. This is a key factor in crop rotations with legume-based pastures or in
rotations of rice with legumes (such as soybeans). The great beneficiaries of the new rice
technologies have been the consumers. Rice demand in Latin America still responds well to
changes in income and its own price. Individual consumption of white rice, which, on
average, reached 30 kilos in 1990, is higher as one moves up in income strata. However,
the lower the level of family income, the greater the share of rice in caloric and protein
intake, and the greater the contribution of rice in total household food expenditures. If
the real price of rice is to continue its dive accompanied by increased per capita
consumption levels, as has been traditionally observed in the past two decades, a
continued vigorous supply response will be required. The challenges for researchers are
(i) to raise yield ceilings in irrigated rice, (ii) achieve a fuller expression of yield
potential in upland rice, (iii) develop lines for both ecosystems with higher yield
stability through broadening of the genetic base and added tolerance/resistance to pests
and diseases, and (iv) increase technical as well as economic efficiency through better
crop management principles and practices. Only through improved germplasm and better
management practices will rice conserve its comparative advantages to spread into new
areas and preserve its current leading role in the diets of Latin Americans as the most
dynamic locally grown carbohydrate source.
Forages/Rice
103
Rivas Ríos, Libardo. Evaluación del impacto ex-post de la adopción de nuevas
tecnologías forrajes y arroz en la Amazonia y la Orinoquia de Colombia : primer
borrador / Libardo Rivas R. Cali, Colombia : Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical,
2000. 54 h. : il. [HC 79 .T4 R5]
The impact resulting from the adoption of innovative production
techniques based on new rice and forage germplasm was estimated, given the need to
document the economic impact achieved by investing in the design and dissemination of new
technologies to modernize Colombia’s overall agricultural sector and the Amazon and
Orinoquia regions, in particular. These two research activities of CIAT have been funded
in the last few years by the Technical and Scientific Collaborative Agreement signed
between Colombia’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR) and the
International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). Impact assessment, in the case of
forages, is mainly based on information from former CIAT studies. Projections of adoption
can be made based on this historical information; however, the past is not completely
extrapolable because economic, social, and political environs vary over time. Historical
information corresponding to 1967-1997 was used to evaluate the technical change in rice.
Trends of forage adoption were analyzed at two benchmark sites (Puerto López and Puerto
Gaitán), according to type of grass. The new types of Brachiaria have been widely
accepted in these areas and have gradually replaced traditional B. decumbens because of
the latter’s high susceptibility to the spittlebug. The adoption of pastures in the
Amazon and Orinoquia regions has not been sufficiently widespread to induce a fall in real
prices of livestock products at the national and local levels. Therefore, impact
assessment was limited to quantifying the value of changes in on-farm productivity. The
dissemination and adoption of new rice technologies have been widespread both nationally
and regionally, generating substantial increases in productivity, production, and
consumption while drastically lowering real prices paid by consumers. Between 1967 and
1997, rice production in Colombia more than doubled, the real price to the producer
decreased by one-third, and consumption per capita increased by 64%. Estimates of
technological benefits associated with new rice technologies for Colombia were made not
only a national level, but also for the Amazon and Orinoquia regions and other production
regions of Colombia. Total national profit, including producers and consumers, was
estimated for 1967-1997 at approximately US$1.3 billion, representing an annuity of US$136
million. For the Orinoquia and Amazon regions, these profits were calculated at US$359
million, amounting to US$38 million per year. This level of benefits represents 28% of the
total and agrees with the share of these two regions in national rice production. The
technical change evaluated represents the effort of numerous public and private, national
and international entities that participated in different stages of the design and
dissemination of new technologies. CIAT played an important role in this process,
demonstrating that technical and scientific cooperation between national and international
institutions is a valid tool within a development strategy that seeks to modernize
Colombian agriculture efficiently, competitively and sustainably.
104
Sanint, Luis Roberto. Rivas Ríos, Libardo. Tecnologías de mejoramiento de
germoplasma que benefician al consumidor : los casos de ganadería vacuna y arroz en
América Latina y el Caribe / Luis R. Sanint y Libardo Rivas. Cali, Colombia :
Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical, 2000. 23 h. : il.
Beef, milk, and rice are basic foods in the diets of Latin Americans.
The distribution of benefits from the adoption of new germplasm-based technologies in the
production of these commodities, where consumers are the main beneficiaries is examined.
During the past three decades, there have been significant gains in the productivity of
rice throughout Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) associated with the development and
adoption of improved germplasm and related management practices. As a consequence, lower
unit production costs were transmitted to the consumer in the form of lower prices. The
first part of this paper gathers information from previous studies documenting the ex-post
impact of the new rice technologies. Rice is an important food staple in the tropical
countries where it often constitutes the main source of calories and protein for the
lowest 20% income group. The ex-ante benefits associated with these gains, discounted at
an annual rate of 5%, show that consumers received most of the surplus ($518 million per
year) but producers also gained ($340 million per year). Within this last group, there
were winners (irrigated and lowland rice ecosystems) and losers (upland growers in both
mechanized and traditional systems). The second part of the paper calculates ex-ante
benefits of research in improved forages. Beef and milk are the main source of protein for
the population as a whole in all countries of LAC. Household food expenditure shares in
these commodities go from 20% to 30% depending on income strata. Research efforts are now
responsible for a significant amount of improved forages, well adapted to tropical
conditions, where about 60% of the livestock activity takes place. This paper calculates
that the ex-ante flow of surpluses from these technologies, for the next 35 years, will be
around $235 million per year (discounted at 5% annually). However, the distribution of
these benefits among consumers and producers greatly varies according to the assumptions
made for the type of economy (open or closed). The scenario with a closed economy reveals
that the brunt of the benefits (86%) go to consumers; in contrast, in a partially opened
economy (where only exports are allowed), producers become important receivers (48%). The
ex-ante benefits were calculated using MODEXC, a partial equilibrium model developed at
CIAT that calculates consumer and producer surpluses. The analysis ignores the presence of
significant distortions in international trade --a major deterrent to food production in
developing countries--. Its partial equilibrium approach is also a limitation, as the
additional wealth generated by the new technologies generates important backward and
forward linkages as well as spillover effects in the rest of the economy that cannot be
fully taken into account by the model. However, the results are useful to compare the
returns of alternative research opportunities under similar market conditions and to
assist decision-makers in establishing research priorities.
Beans/Rice Latin America
105
Schoonhoven, Aart van. Pachico, Douglas H. Rice and beans in Latin America : a
summary report on the economic impact of improved varieties. Cali (Colombia) :
Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical, 1998 . 13 p. .[HD 74 .S3]
The progress and economic impact of improved varieties of rice and beans
released by national agricultural research programs in almost every country in Latin
America is summarized. In support of this work, they have received experimental germplasm,
training, and technical assistance from the International Center for Tropical Agriculture
(CIAT), headquartered in Cali, Colombia. Most of this support is channeled to national
programs through national research networks in which local rice and beans researchers have
a vote and voice. The networks and CIAT’s international research programs enable
participating countries to solve common problems through joint efforts, rather than
waiting resources by working individually towards the same ends. Over the last 30 years,
national program across the region have released, on overage, a total of 10 new lowland
rice varieties each year. In all some 300 varieties have been released, most of them
targeted to irrigation conditions. About 40% of the varieties have come from crosses mede
at the CIAT, and 11% from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the
Philippines. The rest have been derived from germplasm identified by national programs in
Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Nearly 80% of this germplasm has reached scientist in
Latin American countries through an international rice testing network coordinated by IRRI
and CIAT. In contrast to rice, beans were grown predominantly on a small scale, often in
complex combinations with other native staples (specially maize), an in less favorable
agricultural environments. The very different circumstances of bean cultivation did not
mean, however, that modern crop science could do less to improve it. Rather, researchers
could have to pursue a different and perhaps more difficult improvement strategy than that
for rice, one that would take longer to show results. National programs have released
about 180 new beans varieties originating from germplasm provided by CIAT , and an
undetermined number based on germplasm from other sources. The record of impact in rice
and beans in Latin America is breefly presented.
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