• Benin launched the Interprofessional Rice Organization (IFRIZ-B) to improve competitiveness, quality, and local market supply.

• Local paddy rice output grew 31% between 2018 and 2023, but still falls short of demand, forcing reliance on imports.

• The government targets doubling paddy production to 1 million tons in coming years.

Benin has established the Interprofessional Rice Organization (IFRIZ-B) to strengthen coordination in a sector that supplies one of the country’s most consumed cereals but remains heavily dependent on imports.

The new body, created on September 30 in Cotonou, aims to defend collective interests with government and partners while promoting competitiveness, quality, and the consumption of local rice.

Stakeholders expect the IFRIZ to give the sector legitimacy and structure, but experts warn of obstacles. Idrissou Bako, national coordinator of the Integrated Agricultural Value Chains Development Project (Pdi-Cva), cited “insufficient coordination among actors, a lack of processing infrastructure, limited access to quality inputs, weak consultation along the value chain, and the absence of a framework agreement with the state.”

Paddy rice production has grown steadily, rising 31% between 2018 and 2023 to 492,626 tons, peaking at 525,014 tons in 2022, according to the Directorate of Agricultural Statistics.

Despite this progress, output of milled rice lags domestic demand. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Benin (CCIB) estimated in 2023 that 350,000 tons of rice were produced against consumption needs of nearly 600,000 tons.

Imports, mainly from Asia and especially India, continue to bridge the shortfall. The IFRIZ launch aligns with the government’s ambition to almost double paddy production to 1 million tons in the coming years.

This article was initially published in French by Stéphanas Assocle

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum