\u00a0A recent OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook report projects that Africa will account for 41% of the world\u2019s rice imports by 2033, translating to over 26 million tons per year<\/p>\n
Rice is the continent’s second-most cultivated cereal and ranks third in consumption after maize and wheat. Despite significant efforts at national and regional levels to boost local production, current output remains insufficient to meet rising demand<\/p>\n
Presently, Africa imports about 17 million tons of rice annually, representing 32% of global imports. This dependency on imports is largely due to population growth and evolving dietary preferences<\/p>\n
The report forecasts an increase in per capita rice consumption from 25.1 kg in 2023 to 28.5 kg by 2033, marking the second-highest growth rate globally after Oceania<\/p>\n
Africa\u2019s population is also expected to expand, reaching 1.69 billion by 2030, according to UN data. Together, these trends are likely to strain local rice sectors, which are unable to keep pace with demand, leading to continued reliance on imports<\/p>\n
In West Africa, the primary hub for rice production and consumption, Nigeria is projected to maintain its lead in international rice purchases, with imports almost doubling to 4 million tons by 2033. This would approach China\u2019s expected import volume<\/p>\n
While the OECD-FAO report underscores the growing role of imported rice in Africa\u2019s diet, analysts argue that the continent has the potential to achieve self-sufficiency<\/p>\n
West Africa, home to 60% of Africa\u2019s rice-planted areas, has substantial growth potential. Increasing production, particularly through expanded irrigation, offers an opportunity to boost yields across the region<\/p>\n
Currently, approximately 80% of African rice cultivation relies on rainfall. Expanding irrigation infrastructure could unlock significant yield potential across various countries. For instance, Nigeria\u2019s Ministry of Agriculture estimates a cultivable rice area of 4.2 million hectares, yet only 17% of this area was equipped with irrigation in 2020<\/p>\n
In Senegal\u2019s Senegal River Valley, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates nearly 240,000 hectares of hydro-agricultural potential, with irrigated yields between 5 to 7 tons per hectare compared to rainfed yields of 2 tons<\/p>\n
Similarly, Mali has an estimated 2.2 million hectares of irrigable land, of which only 36% is currently utilized<\/p>\n
On October 19, ECOWAS announced a US$19 billion, ten-year plan (2025\u20132035) to support rice production in the region. This strategy will address various points in the agricultural value chain, including storage, processing, fertilizers, and seeds, as Africa races to meet its rice demand sustainably<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0A recent OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook report projects that Africa will account for 41% of the world\u2019s rice imports by 2033, translating to over 26 million tons per year Rice is the continent’s second-most cultivated cereal and ranks third in consumption after maize and wheat. Despite significant efforts at national and regional levels to boost local …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":847,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[213,14],"tags":[486,297,488],"class_list":["post-846","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-grains-feed","category-14","tag-agrifuture","tag-grain","tag-senegal"],"yoast_head":"\n