South Korea launches its Korean Rice-Belt project with eight African countries. The objective is a major agricultural development program, from Senegal to Kenya, to produce rice for local populations. Over an initial period of four years, the project aims to provide 10,000 tonnes of additional rice, enough to feed 30 million people.
Representatives of eight African countries met on July 10th in Seoul with their South Korean counterparts to launch the Rice Belt project, other words, the Rice Belt, a vast investment program of 80 million dollars aimed at developing agricultural infrastructure for rice cultivation. South Korea intends to share its know-how and enable its African partners to develop this sector.
Feed 30 Million People
In 2020, the African continent consumed nearly 300 million tons of rice, of which 210 million were harvested locally. This South Korean project aims to develop local production, with an objective of 10,000 tonnes of additional rice in 2027, enough to feed 30 million people.
Guinean representatives welcomed the project and intend to seize this opportunity to become the second-largest African rice producer behind Nigeria. If South Korea is currently considering a four-year partnership, it does not rule out extending it beyond and integrating other countries in the region.