Building K-Rice Belt in 8 African Countries... "Producing Rice for 30 Million Consumers Annually"

Establishment of Seed Complexes in Target Countries... Rice Productivity Increased 2-3 Times
Production of 2,000 Tons of Rice Seeds This Year → Expanded to 10,000 Tons by 2027
Korean Rice Experts Dispatched to Support Sustainable Agricultural Development

The large-scale Korean-style agricultural Official Development Assistance (ODA) project, 'K-Rice Belt,' is being actively established. This project supports the improvement of rice productivity by distributing rice varieties developed by Korea to Africa, transferring agricultural technology, and building infrastructure. It is expected not only to help solve Africa's food shortage but also to strengthen cooperative relations with participating countries.

In many African countries, rice consumption is increasing by about 6% annually due to factors such as urbanization, industrialization, and population growth. However, rice production remains stagnant and cannot meet consumption demands. In particular, the eight countries that have agreed to establish the K-Rice Belt with Korea?Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Uganda, Cameroon, and Kenya?consumed 12,636,000 tons of rice in 2020, but their own production was only 5,928,000 tons (46.9%). This means they rely on imports for 57.2% of their rice consumption.

Such imbalances in the supply and demand of staple grains, including rice, exacerbate difficulties for countries highly dependent on food imports. As a result, many African countries recognize resolving the supply-demand imbalance of food, including rice, as their most critical policy task.

Accordingly, the Korean government decided to establish the K-Rice Belt in eight African countries that have low rice self-sufficiency rates but strong intentions for agricultural and rural development and have established cooperative foundations.

The K-Rice Belt project was conceived in 2016 when Minister Jeong Hwang-geun of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs was serving as the Administrator of the Rural Development Administration. At the K-Rice Belt Agricultural Ministers' Meeting on the 10th, Minister Jeong said, "During my time as Administrator, I visited Africa and confirmed the potential of its young and dynamic population and vast continent. I had hope and confidence that Korea could make a practical contribution to Africa's food security. Now, that dream is being realized under the name 'K-Rice Belt,' which personally moves me deeply."

In October last year, Minister Jeong visited Cameroon and Guinea as a special presidential envoy to discuss ways to support technology and infrastructure for improving rice productivity. Through the '2023 Work Plan' announced in January this year, the K-Rice Belt project was officially launched. Last month, Minister Jeong visited Africa again and secured Guinea-Bissau's participation, increasing the number of participating countries from seven to eight.

The K-Rice Belt project proceeds by establishing rice cultivation complexes and production infrastructure to produce high-yield rice seeds and distribute them to farmers. Starting with the production of 2,000 tons of seeds this year, the goal is to produce 10,000 tons of high-yield rice seeds annually by 2027 and distribute them to farmers to support the production of rice sufficient for about 30 million consumers per year.

Minister Jeong stated, "Korea and Africa share the commonality that rice is an important food resource, and I believe that Korea, more than any other country, must play a role in solving Africa's food shortage problem. We will steadily share Korea's valuable experience and know-how, having achieved rice self-sufficiency in a short period, with African countries through this Korean-style rice production increase project."

Participants of the 'K-Rice Belt Agriculture Ministers' Meeting' held on the 10th at JW Marriott Hotel in Gangnam, Seoul, are taking a commemorative photo.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.