Madar (N'Djamena) - Rice farmers in Doba, capital of Logone Oriental province in southern Chad, are facing a sharp drop in yields caused by insufficient rainfall during the 2026-2027 farming season, according to a field report published on Sunday, 15 November 2026 by the news site Tchadinfos after its correspondent visited rice fields on 13 November.
According to the report, rice fields in Mboh-Nya, about 15 km from Doba beyond the Pende river, produced practically no good harvest this year. On a plot of four to five hectares, farmers had hoped to harvest between 30 and 40 bags of paddy rice, but got only two or three.
"The rains stopped early, at flowering time, and the water in the canals was not enough," one farmer told the site, adding that the ears stayed empty, that he got only one bag of paddy rice from two hectares, and that herders are bringing their cattle to graze on what little remains.
The National Agency for Rural Development Support (ANADER), Pende section, confirmed the poor rice harvest. Its sector head, Benjamin Ouaidou, who is also acting agriculture delegate for Logone Oriental, said the season was marked by a fairly significant rainfall deficit that does not allow a good rice yield, unlike other crops, which he said are giving good results overall.
He advised farmers living near ponds and those with boreholes to develop off-season farming and diversify their activities, adding that he had informed his superiors, the same source said.
The consequences are already being felt on local markets, where the price of a bag of rice is starting to rise very quickly, the report added.
