Nigeria overtakes Egypt as the largest rice producer in Africa

The biggest economy in Africa is now also the largest rice producer in Africa. According to Director-General, Africa Rice Center, Benin Republic, Dr Harold Roy-Macauley, Nigeria has overtaken Egypt as the largest rice producer in Africa.

Egypt which was producing 4.3 million tonnes of rice annually have now declined by almost 40 percent this year. Nigeria on the other hand now produces about 4 million tonnes of rice per a year.

The Egyptian government’s decision to preserve water resources led to the reduction of the cultivated crop. 1.8 billion metres of water is required for Egypt’s rice cultivation each year.

The Africa Rice Center are making efforts to increase overall rice production in Africa although there are doubts it will stop rice importation as the population is constantly growing. Following the statistics, Africa currently produces an average of 14.6 million tonnes of rough rice annually.

Roy-Macauley also said his center is ready to partner with Nigeria now the largest producer of rice in Africa and other governments in Africa to train farmers, extension officers and exporters on areas like cultivation, post-harvest care and to understand market requirement.

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