Rice producers (arroceros) are becoming increasingly resourceful and they are using the plant’s sapling or ratoon in order to cope with high production costs related to climate change.
The method will allow rice farmers to save up to 600,000 colones in cost per hectare, reducing the crop cycle, which is also an environmental friendly method.
The Research and Technology Transfer (DITT) is coordinating the use of this method which is widely used in the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Colombia.
Minor Barboza, CEO of CONARROZ, said that the system uses the rice plant’s ability to produce sprouts from the stems, even after its natural production cycle. It is a second crop, which grows in the same planted area.
In Costa Rica 70% of rice is grown on dry land, producing (in some regions) one or two crops a year, the remaining 30% of the production is done by irrigation, and up to three crops could be harvested.