Costa Rica: Change rice farming for sugar cane

During last six months, 700 hectares dedicated to rice farming in Bagaces (Costa Rica), have begun to seed sugar cane.

This change has been made to avoid the problems through which passed rice producers. The producers consider that with the change they will obtain a greater yield, more security in the production system, plagues are smaller, production costs are reduced, sugar cane farming is more resistant to the climate and count on more varieties.

Rice producers feel threatened by the meteorological phenomenon of "El Niño” and the beginning of the agreement with U.S.A. (Cafta).

In front of this situation, the executive director of the Rice Corporation (Conarroz), said "we will do the impossible to return them to rice farming”.