(Ecofin Agency) - For the 2016-17 agricultural season, Mali has produced 8.96 million Mt of cereals. This is 11% more than during the previous season.

The record output is mainly led by rice production (2.81Mt), maize’s (1.9Mt), millet (1.9Mt) and sorghum (1.63Mt). The season helped satisfy the country’s demand for cereals and even get a surplus of 3.77Mt.

“A yield satisfying local consumption with a surplus has never been seen before,” said Namory Diabaté who leads the statistics unit of Mali’s minister of agriculture.

According to the official, the feat is attributable to good rains, the expansion of planting areas, increased use of agricultural tractors to farm and of subsidized fertilizers by the government.

Mali is the second largest rice producer in the sub-Saharan region, after Nigeria.