Mali aims for 8pc increase in 2018/19 rice output

BAMAKO: Mali aims to produce 3.14 million tonnes of rice in the 2018/19 season, the Ministry of Rural Development said on Wednesday.

Target amounts to a near 8 percent rise over the previous season's 2.92 million tonnes.

Mali aims to increase yields in existing areas with better fertilizers and seeds rather than using more land.

The rice season runs from April to March and has two phases: production from May/June to September/October and marketing from October/November through late March.