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Kenya: Rice Shortage Looms
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The Nation (Nairobi)
3 October 2007
Posted to the web 2 October 2007
Cosmas Butunyi
Nairobi
A shortage of rice looms in the country following diminishing imports from Asia, agricultural experts have warned. The crisis, which could affect the whole of Africa, may be averted if governments avoid over-dependence on rice imports and instead boost rice production, said the director general of the Africa Rice Centre, Dr Papa Abdoulaye Seck.
"This will help avert a looming rice shortage and drastic increases in the price of the commodity," said Dr Seck.
Speaking during a meeting of the Council of African Agriculture ministers in Abuja, Nigeria, Dr Seck said that rice production in Asian countries had fallen.
He blamed this on industrial development and population pressure in leading rice producing countries.
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"By 2020, majority of Asian countries will not be able to export rice due to increase in local demand and decrease in land under rice," he said.
Despite, accounting for 13 per cent of world population, Dr Seck said, Africa imports 32 per cent of world rice produced. "Prices of rice have already gone up in Thailand and Vietnam, the traditional rice exporters to Africa and by 2008, the rice price is expected to double that of 2003," Dr Seck said.
A review of production by the Africa Rice Centre shows paddy rice in Sub-Saharan Africa grew by 3.23 per cent a year from 1961 to 2005 to stand at 14.2 million tonnes.
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