The rice value chain in Africa

Traoré, Fousseini; Laborde Debucquet, David; del Prete, Davide; Sánchez, Marco; Diop, Insa

The rice value chain in Africa

Autores

Traoré, Fousseini

Laborde Debucquet, David

del Prete, Davide

Sánchez, Marco

Diop, Insa

Editor

AKADEMIYA2063
International Food Policy Research Institute

Descripción

Rice is both a strategic commodity and a staple food in most African countries. It is the second most important source of dietary energy in the region, after maize, providing 9 percent of human calorie intake (van Oort 2023). In many countries, particularly in West Africa, per capita consumption exceeds 100 kg/year (FAO 2024), putting Africa second only to Asia. Due to the combined effects of population growth, changing diets, urbanization, and income growth in Africa, rice demand is now growing at 6 percent annually, faster than any other staple food (AfricaRice, n.d.), and projected to increase significantly in the next decade. By 2034, Africa is likely to be the largest importing region globally, despite increasing intraregional trade (FAO 2025).