Japan, Côte d’Ivoire sign €5.3m deal to support rice production

Japan will provide Côte d’Ivoire with equipment worth €5.3 million to support the West African country’s national plan to grow rice and consequently reduce its dependence on importation.

Ivorian Minister Finance Adama Coulibaly and country presentative of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Usui Yukichi signed last week the equipment financing.

The West African country plans to launch several rice-integrated growing projects under a 2020-2030 plan known as “National Rice Development Strategy.”

The plan encompasses irrigation, rational exploitation of plots, production of high yield seeds and mechanization of self-financing of rice. Côte d’Ivoire is the continent’s largest importer of the commodity. Data from of the World Trade Organization revealed the country imported 1.56 million tons of rice, for a value of $810 million, in 2022.

The plan is also touted to help the State improve trade balance.