A
presentation on ‘Investment in rice production and expected time frames of
impact’ was made by AfricaRice at the Fourth Africa Rice Outlook, 25–27 July in
Durban, South Africa. The Africa Rice Outlook seeks to bring together the
market’s biggest rice buyers, sellers and traders.
The
objectives of the Fourth Africa Rice Outlook were to:
·
Examine
Africa’s rising consumption trends and demand requirements
·
Assess
African rice production and its impact on global trade
·
Identify
new rice import markets in Southern, East and West Africa
·
Manage
volatility by examining the impact of freight rates on the price of rice
·
Capitalize
on the growing demand for NERICA varieties
·
Review
grain-market interlinkages and the impact on Africa’s rice industry.
AfricaRice
recommendations relating to some of these issues include:
·
Emphasis
on a value-chain approach
·
Establish
seed legislation to encourage involvement of the private sector in seed supply and
trade
·
Reduce
tax on importation of small-scale farm and processing equipment to increase
labor efficiency and grain quality
·
Reduce
fertilizer prices (fertilizers sold in Africa are at least double the price
they sell for in Asia and Europe, and sometimes up to six times the price)
·
Improve
research and extension capacity in processing and marketing
·
Increase
the share of the irrigated and lowland irrigated agro-ecosystems in African
rice production and scale up the use of high-yielding varieties (e.g. NERICA
varieties).
