Experts forecast massive jump in rice intake

Edgar Vhera

Agriculture Specialist Writer

IT is imperative for the country to invest in rice production to meet the projected demand of 800 000 tonnes per year by 2030.

This is due to the evolving dietary landscape from maize-centrism to rice.

Zimbabwe is presently implementing policies that put it on course to attain its 2030 objective of an empowered upper middle-income society.

According to the World Bank, for the current 2024 fiscal year, upper middle-income economies are those with a gross national income (GNI) per capita between US$4 466 and US$13 845.

Speaking at the Zimbabwe Agriculture Resilience Symposium and Drought Action Committee feedback meeting held in Harare this week, Grain Mobilisation and Strategic Grain Reserve sub-committee member and Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) chairperson, Dr Tafadzwa Musarara said rice consumption had increased by over 200 percent for the period 2015 to 2023 and their committee was proposing the introduction of local rice production on a commercial level in the medium term.

“Local rice consumption has increased from 87 000 tonnes in 2015 to 264 000 in 2023, about 22 000 per month. Private boarding schools are accounting for 4 800 tonnes of the monthly rice consumption. This means we are having a generational dietary change in the nation with the product being imported due to limited local production,” he said.

Dr Musarara said most households now prepare two meals — sadza for the parents and rice for children.

He added: “Rice has become a breakfast cereal and staple food yet in the past its consumption was predominantly on Christmas holiday and on special days. Technology has changed with the introduction of rice cookers now preferred by young working mothers to prepare the meal in 15 minutes.”

As a result of the anticipated increase in household income, the country is projected to consume 66 000 tonnes of rice per month by 2030 and the nation should start now to explore its local production for import substitution, he added.

In June this year, President Mnangagwa visited South Korea culminating in the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two countries for cooperation on rice production in Zimbabwe.

South Korea is now working on developing a rice variety suitable for Zimbabwe’s climate and soils to cater for the country’s change in dietary penchants.