West African countries rely heavily on overseas rice imports, and the 2008 food prices crisis revealed the risk of this situation. West African governments therefore pursued policies aimed at developing the local rice sector and reducing import dependency. Although rice production increased considerably, the availability, affordability and appeal of imported rice continues to outweigh locally produced rice.

These policies have failed to deliver durable productivity gains and sufficient rice quality management, and also did not adequately address opportunities for trade within the West African region. For competitive, resilient and sustainable rice value chains to further emerge, it is crucial that trade policies become better aligned with agricultural and industrial policies. However, detailed information and analyses of rice trading dynamics in the region have been in short supply. […]

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