Developing rice varieties with high grain quality in Africa: challenges and prospects

Abstract

The demand for rice in Africa continues to outstrip production with the continent importing nearly 10 million tonnes annually. Although there are rice development programs in several African countries, this gap widens yearly. In most African countries, the emphasis in the rice programs has been on increasing yield and enhancing stress tolerance to the detriment of grain and cooking qualities. The reasons for this include the lack of appreciation of the importance of superior grain quality, the unavailability of the appropriate testing equipment, and an absence of personnel with the requisite knowledge in many African countries. Consequently, rice varieties are developed, field-tested and released without reference to their milling potential, amylose content, gelatinization temperature, gel consistency, chalkiness, pasting characteristics, cooked rice texture and aroma. Consumer acceptability trials are also often not carried out. Although these varieties are usually able to satisfy farmer requirements, they are often unable to compete on local markets with imported rice. As a result, lower prices are paid for locally produced rice, reducing the incentive for local production and consequently the success of African rice improvement initiatives