International records / African Development Bank

Multinational: New Rice for Africa (NERICA) Dissemination Project

Each year Africa imports one-third of the world’s rice, about 20% (5.2 million tons) for West Africa alone. By 2020 an extra 17 million tons of milled rice, costing billions in scarce foreign currency, will be required if domestic production continues to lag behind the growing demand. Any price increases in the international rice markets would adversely affect food security, especially in poor households, which spend a sizable portion (20-25%) of their revenue on food. Most governments in West Africa are aware of the facts and have put in place policies to mitigate the impact of increased worl…