Drought-resistant rice variety records threefold yields in Busoga pilot project

What the report says

Rice farmers in Namutumba District, in Uganda’s Busoga region, are preparing to take up a new drought-resistant hybrid rice variety after a pilot harvest showed markedly stronger performance than local paddy types. According to Nile Post, the variety, called WDE75, produced yields reported to be up to three times higher during demonstration planting in a swamp area in Ivukula Sub-county.

The project was introduced earlier this year by the Busoga Consortium for Development (BCD) under the FAO China–Uganda South-South Cooperation Project Phase III. The first harvest was observed at Nawaibete Swamp along the Kibaale–Ivukula Road during a field visit led by BCD Director General Anthony Mula. The event also drew representatives from Zoeve Seed Company, Busoga Kingdom agriculture officials, district leaders and officials linked to the FAO cooperation programme.

Nile Post reported that the seed had been tested by Uganda’s National Agricultural Research Organisation and is being promoted as a variety that combines higher productivity with better resilience to dry conditions. Local officials and farmers at the demonstration plots said the crop could help improve household incomes, expand rice production and encourage more farmers to adopt improved seed. There was also a caution from district authorities about following sustainable wetland-use guidelines while scaling up.

BCD said demand for the seed has risen and plans to expand the pilot to 100 farmers next season, with each cultivating one acre. The initiative is part of broader efforts in Busoga to promote climate-smart agriculture and support the region’s agricultural transformation goals.