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Central African Republic: efforts under way to add value to rice production

26 September 2010

The Central African Republic Minister of Agriculture, Fidele Gouandjika, chairing a workshop in Bangui on the training of trainers in rice processing, emphasised the importance of promoting the local transformation of rice into value-added rice products, such as biscuits, cakes and drinks. The workshop, organised by the Institut Centrafricain de Recherche Agronomique (ICRA) and the Centre du Riz pour l’Afrique (AfricaRice), also looked at underlying competitiveness issues in the sector. The workshop was part of a regional project, Improving the Competitiveness of Rice in Central Africa, and the project coordinator, Rita Afiavi Agboh Naomeshie, highlighted the efforts under way to reduce dependence on imports of rice for the CEMAC region and improve food security and livelihood opportunities of the region’s citizens.

Editorial comment

Food security is a major issue of concern in Central African Republic (CAR). In recent years, droughts, floods and ongoing violence have caused acute rises in the price of both locally produced and imported food. Between January and May 2008, food prices in the country increased by an average of 25%, while the price for cassava, CAR’s staple food, rose by approximately 40% between December 2009 and August 2010.

Being a landlocked country, all imports to CAR outside the CEMAC zone have to pass through the port of Douala in Cameroon, which with rising fuel prices contributes to further price rises. This situation is seen as jeopardising the nutritional and food security of citizens of the CAR. This is leading to intensified efforts to promote local food production.

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