Rice seedlings

 In Africa, rice is the fastest growing food staple. It has been the main staple food for at least 50 years in parts of western Africa (Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia and Sierra Leone) and for some countries in the Indian Ocean (Comoros and Madagascar).

In these countries, the share of calories from rice has generally not increased substantially over time. In other African countries, however, rice has displaced other staple foods because of the availability of affordable imports from Asia and rice’s easier preparation, which is especially important in urban areas. In Côte d’Ivoire, for instance, the share of calories from rice increased from 12% in 1961 to 22% in 2007. In Senegal, the share increased from 20% to 31% during the same time, whereas, in Nigeria, the most populous country on the continent, it increased from 1% to 8%.

On balance, in Africa, production has grown rapidly, but rice consumption has grown even faster, with the balance being met by increasing quantities of imports. Western Africa is the main producing subregion, accounting for more than 40% of African production in 2006-08. In terms of individual countries, the leading producers of paddy (2006-08) are Egypt (7.0 million t), Nigeria (3.8 million t), and Madagascar (3.2 million t).

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