STORY: China gives Madagascar confidence to achieve food self-sufficiency: Madagascan official
SHOOTING TIME: recent footage
DATELINE: Nov. 27, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:13
LOCATION: Antananarivo
CATEGORY: POLITICS/AGRICULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of field of hybrid rice in Madagascar
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (French): TAHIANA RAZANAMAHASOA, State secretary in charge of food sovereignty at Madagascan presidency
3. various of field of hybrid rice in Madagascar
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (French): TAHIANA RAZANAMAHASOA, State secretary in charge of food sovereignty at Madagascan presidency

STORYLINE:

The in-depth cooperation between China and Madagascar in agriculture, especially in the field of hybrid rice, gives Madagascar the confidence to achieve self-sufficiency in food. State secretary in charge of food sovereignty at Madagascan presidency Tahiana Razanamahasoa has said in an interview with Xinhua.

SOUNDBITE 1 (French): TAHIANA RAZANAMAHASOA, State secretary in charge of food sovereignty at Madagascan presidency
"We hope not only to have China as a model in the field of development, but also to learn from China in the popularization and promotion of hybrid rice in order to achieve food self-sufficiency.
China really wants to integrate Africa as a partner, and China also wants to contribute its part in the development of the African continent."

Madagascar devotes most of its arable land to rice cultivation. However, due to the low yields of local rice, the country once relied heavily on imports to feed its tens of millions of people.
   
The hybrid rice was introduced to Madagascar in 2007.

SOUNDBITE 2 (French): TAHIANA RAZANAMAHASOA, State secretary in charge of food sovereignty at Madagascan presidency 
"If we introduce hybrid rice on a large scale in Madagascar, we can achieve food self-sufficiency and possibly be a rice exporting country. Because the yield of hybrid rice varies from 8 to 12 tonnes per hectare.
And our goal is to sow hybrid rice seeds locally and to popularize hybrid rice in the 23 regions of Madagascar."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Antananarivo.
(XHTV)