AfDB envisages Dangote as world’s largest rice exporter by 2021

Akinwumi Ayodeji Adesina
President of the African Development Bank Group
 Mr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of African Development Bank (AfDB) has predicted that based on observed trajectory, Aliko Dangote, Chairman of Dangote Group and currently the richest man in Africa, will become the world’s largest rice exporter by 2021.

Adesina who gave this prediction at the Mo Ibrahim Forum in Morocco recently urged African governments to focus on agriculture as a veritable means of creating wealth as well as driving growth and employment on the continent.

He based his prediction on Dangote’s decision to invest $1 billion in production and processing of rice in Nigeria from the initial $300 million investment.

"If they continue that policy, he would probably be the single largest producer of rice in the world in about four years.

"The reason I was so excited about that is that agriculture is cool; agriculture is a business and agriculture pays," Adesina said.

On his part, Dangote explained that government's interest in the revival of agriculture in a bid to reduce food imports encouraged him to venture into rice cultivation. Promising to produce one million tonnes of quality rice in the next three years at affordable price, Dangote said "We hope to do 150,000 hectares and when we are done, Nigeria will not have anything to do with importation of rice."


He said the Dangote Rice Outgrowers Scheme, designed as a one-stop solution for the rice value chain, would provide high quality seeds, fertilisers, agro-chemicals and technical assistance on the best agricultural practice to farmers.

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