February 23, 2023

Promoting local rice with the LOCAGRI caravan

Staple Crops

Ivory Coast

After doubling between 2007 and 2015, the production of milled rice, the processed rice consumed worldwide, has stagnated for the past four years at around 1.3 million tonnes per year. The sector, which has some 800,000 rice farmers, is facing many challenges. First and foremost is the lack of financing, which discourages producers from investing in seeds, fertilisers or pesticides, to the detriment of yields. Côte d'Ivoire imports 450 million euros worth of rice each year, making it the fifth largest rice importer in the world and the second largest on the continent. https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2019/12/16/le-long-chemin-de-la-cote-d-ivoire-vers-l-autosuffisance-en-riz_6023093_3212.html

As a result, national rice production is faced with difficulties of varying degrees, such as the marketing of local rice and its integration into household food habits. As imported rice is the usual cereal consumed by Ivorians, it appears difficult for the sector's actors to adequately cover the local demand of final consumers.

Thus, in order to face the high rate of rice importation against that of local rice production and consumption, awareness-raising actions have been carried out by the Ivorian government and several national and international partners such as 2SCALE. 2SCALE's mission is to contribute to food security in Côte d'Ivoire, to promote Ivorian rice and all its by-products and to work towards the professionalisation of the sector.

Within the framework of the syndicated rice partnership, four agricultural business clusters have been set up with four Ivorian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) (paddy processing and marketing companies) which constitute the Champions of this Partnership, These are KATIO AKPA in Katiola (northern Côte d'Ivoire), ESPOIR RIZ DU CAVALLY in Guiglo (southern Côte d'Ivoire), LOCAGRI in Agboville (southern Côte d'Ivoire) and CAPI in Daloa (central-western Côte d'Ivoire). 2SCALE's ambition in this partnership is to include 15,000 small-scale producers in the rice value chain while focusing on gender and youth inclusion, financial inclusion and green innovations, distribution of products to consumers from all social strata and small households...

An ambitious partnership for an inclusive business idea...

Last October, in line with 2SCALE's inclusive business idea, the champions of the syndicated rice partnership took part in a caravan to promote local rice, thanks to the support of the Local Rice Promotion Project (Proril) initiated by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Ivorian government.

Held over three days (27-29 October), the aim of the caravan was to increase sales of quality local rice, raise awareness among distributors and producers, and encourage consumption among the population (particularly those on low incomes).

The LOCAGRI champion's objectives for this event were to reach as many customers as possible, all categories included, in the three communes involved in the caravan (Cocody, Yopougon, Koumassi); to this end, nearly 4 to 5 tonnes of rice were sold during this period to customers made up of 60% men and 40% women from the middle class and low-income consumers, with 5 potential resellers made up entirely of men who could reach both the middle class and low-income consumers.

In addition, thanks to this caravan, LOCAGRI was able to broaden its range of contacts with the firms and/or organisations present, thereby enriching its address book and expanding its marketing and partnership network.

The support and advice provided by 2SCALE to LOCAGRI in defining its marketing strategy gave the champion confidence in this promotional activity.

On this occasion, several varieties of local rice were exhibited on the champion's stands and then marketed to the large number of customers. LOCAGRI experts and sales agents explained the textural differences between these varieties to customers who were keen to learn more. These explanations include JT11, which is characterised by its long, fine, white grains; C26, which is similar to JT11 but has medium-sized grains; and CY2, which stands out for its large, white grains. Of these varieties, JT11 and C26 are generally the most popular.

Eating local rice, a habit to adopt...

With its "Locariz" rice, the LOCAGRI champion is aiming to make eating local rice a habit, and to meet the demand of the target population, especially those at the bottom of the pyramid. LOCAGRI's current challenge is therefore to inform households about local rice varieties and to ensure rice self-sufficiency. LOCAGRI produces and markets white rice in various formats ranging from 5 kg to 25 kg.

As part of its drive to conquer new markets, the company is looking to develop the value of fine broken rice and is looking for commercial partners to help it do so. To supply its raw materials, LOCAGRI has developed a network of over 500 rice producers in the Agboville region, 90% of whom are men and 10% women, divided into 10 groups that are currently being formalised.

Finally, according to the FAO, the consumption requirement for milled rice in Côte d'Ivoire is estimated at around 2.6 million tonnes a year. The main objective of the champions and this partnership is to meet the national rice requirement of at least 68%. 2SCALE's support in raising awareness among producers and strengthening their technical capabilities will bring added value to the millers' union, both in financial terms and in terms of building a stronger, improved business climate.

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