· Due to a host of reasons such as demographic growth, urbanisation and increased individual needs, rice consumption in West Africa has quadrupled in 30 years.
· These countries have recently adopted aggressive measures to boost rice production and attain self-sufficiency.
Rice is the staple diet of west Africans. Due to a host of reasons such as demographic growth, urbanisation and increased individual needs, rice consumption in West Africa has quadrupled in the last 30 years, according to the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD). At the same time, the domestic production could not keep pace with the rising demand.
The CIRAD report points out that despite the governments ‘efforts to increase local production, particularly through the expansion of rice-growing fields, the region was compelled to import almost 45% of its total rice consumption compared to 40% at the beginning of the 2010s and only 20% in the 1960s and 70s.To cover up the production shortfall, Côte d’Ivoire spends Some 300bn CFA francs while Senegal spends 190 bn and Cameroon 163 bn annually on rice imports. The region’s rice imports – primarily coming from Asia went up three-fold between 1990 and 2018.
These countries have recently adopted aggressive measures to boost rice production and attain self-sufficiency. Senegal planned to achieve this goal in 2017, but ultimately Senegal came up short. Nigeria is aiming for 2022, Niamey 2021 and Abidjan has set 2025 as its target date.
