RA 00183.pdf - OAR@ICRISAT

Some Aspects of Groundnut Production
and Research in Congo
N. Ndilou 1
In Congo, the tradition of groundnut cultivation is very old. Groundnuts are grown in all the
ecological regions of the country. They are often intercropped with other crops (cassava,
cowpea, and pigeonpea). But, groundnut production is of much concern now, because its
exports ceased 25 years ago and local production no longer meets domestic demand which
is now at 16 000 t for consumption of grains and 18 000 t for oil production. About 34 000 ha of
arable land are under groundnut cultivation from which farmers produce up to 24 000 t of
unshelled groundnuts, i.e., an average national yield of 700 kg ha -1 . Officially marketed
production does not exceed 16% of the total production. At present, groundnuts are mainly
produced for farm consumption.
Groundnut-Growing Areas
In Congo, there are three large areas with different ecological systems. The north-eastern,
zone is a forest land with rainfall of over 1600 mm, except in the period between December
and February when rainfall is low. Most of this area is flooded. Groundnuts are grown on dry
land in the forests. The central zone has a transitional sub-equatorial climate. Here, growing
two crops is possible by using short-duration varieties. In the south-western part, groundnuts
are grown intensively. There are two to three crops of groundnuts a year (the third under
irrigation). Annual rainfall is 1200 mm to 1500 mm.
Production Constraints
The major factors which limit production are : low productivity of the plants, low prices and
lack of a structure to train farmers. Low yields are due to weeds which are difficult to control,
rosette and leaf spots, damage caused by the groundnut bruchid Caryedon serratus, and low
varietal productivity.
1. Selectionneur, Centre de recherche agronomique, B.P. 28 Loudima, Congo.
Citation: ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics). 1991.
the Second ICRISAT Regional Groundnut Meeting for West Africa, 11-14 Sep 1990,
Niamey, Niger. Patancheru, A.P. 502 324, India: ICRISAT.
Summary Proceedings of
ICRISAT Sahelian Center,
48