See How South Korea’s K-Rice Belt Will Cut Africa’s Dependence on Rice Imports

South Korea is billed to sign a K-Rice Belt agreement with eight African countries next week to help them grow a variety of crops, including rice. Newsmen reports that ministers from these African countries will arrive in Seoul on Monday to sign a memorandum of understanding.

The African countries include Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Uganda, Cameroon and Kenya.

When the African ministers arrive in Seoul, they will be privileged to visit Korea’s farming equipment manufacturing sites, rice processing plants, and smart farms.

This will help fine-tune joint growth strategies for presentation at the Korea-Africa special summit next year.

Details of the K-Rice Belt Agreement

Under the proposed MoU, South Korea will build a Korean rice belt in African countries, known as the K-Rice Belt. This rice belt will help these countries cut their dependence on rice imports.

Also, South Korea will spend more than 100 billion won ($77 million) to distribute 10,000 tonnes of rice seeds

In an interview, Agriculture Minister, Chung Hwang-Keun hinted that the facilities constructed in these African countries will produce rice seeds that are more suited to local conditions and have yields that are two to three times higher than domestic varieties.

Chung noted that the K-Rice belt comes in response to the calls by African authorities who reminded him that the continent needed their assistance.

What you need to know

The K-Rice belt move coincided with President Yoon Suk Yeol’s commitment to transform South Korea’s foreign policy into a “global pivotal state” that takes a more active part in international affairs.

Reports say Chung Guinea and Guinea-Bissau in West Africa to discuss ways of cooperation for food security in Africa. Chung also said Seoul will distribute high-yielding and high-quality rice varieties to Africa and support infrastructure and technical training through the project.