By KENNEDY MUPESENI –

THE introduction of Japanese upland rice in Mungwi District is facing challenges due to limited access to seeds.
Three years ago, Japan International Development Cooperation Agency (JICA) in conjunction with the Ministry of Agriculture embarked on the pilot project to introduce the Japanese rice variety in the country.
The new rice variety grows in the upland area as opposed to the traditional rice which grows mainly in the swampy areas. Mungwi District agriculture assistant Mseteka Chiza said a number of factors were affecting the effective introduction of upland rice in the area.
“In the last three years we have been working on the pilot project to introduce rice which can grow on higher ground but we have been facing a number of challenges among them,  limited access to seeds to expand the programme and lack of interest by farmers,” Mr Chiza said.
Mr Chiza was speaking in an interview at Rosa Mission in Mungwi District on Tuesday.
He said officers in the district have embarked on the sensitisation campaign to popularise the upland rice.
He said the deplorable nature of roads coupled with fuel shortages for motorbikes used by extension officers was affecting the exercise.
“We are facing challenges such as fuel shortages and the deplorable nature of feeder roads for us to effectively reach out to as many
farmers as possible,” he said.
Mr Chiza said there was need to promote the variety beyond cooperatives.
He said that another issue which was affecting  expansion of the programme, is  restricting the programme to established
cooperatives thereby depriving farmers who did not belong to cooperatives.
“Three years down the line we are still dealing with the same number of people, only about 100 farmers from selected cooperatives are growing this rice,” he said.