African Countries Strategize Rice Program

The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) announced that African rice breeders have made critical steps in ensuring self-sufficiency and boosting African rice production. This was announced at the inaugural meeting in Kampala, Uganda of the Rice Breeders Network, a consortium of rice experts and seed companies from more than 10 African countries. AGRA also mentioned its plans to support the development and release of new rice varieties in Mozambique, Kenya, Uganda, Mali, Nigeria and Malawi that will boost local production, improve regional food security, and reduce Africa’s over-reliance on rice imports from Asia.

“As long as Africa depends on imports for meeting our food demands, we will experience food crises as the costs continue to rise for consumers, said Dr. Namanga Ngongi, AGRA’s president. “ We must boost local production. We must grow our own food.”

See AGRA's press release at http://www.agra-alliance.org/news/pr042308.html