Cote d’Ivoire is working on five elements fundamental for achieving self-sufficiency in rice, said an official on Wednesday.
“It is about water control so as not to depend on rain, the availability of seeds, the construction of processing factories, a rice distribution system on the national territory and mechanization,” said Yacouba Dembele, general director of the Agency for the Development of the Rice Sector.
The government, he said, was working to increase irrigable hectares from 55,000 to 100,000, out of a potential of around 300,000 hectares.
“It is planned to complete seven seed production centers across the country before the end of 2024,” in addition to the current one in Yamoussoukro, the de jure capital of the country, he said.
According to official figures, the country imported more than 1.2 million tons of milled rice on the international market in 2022. Enditem