Mauritania has begun drafting a ten-year national rice development strategy with Japan's development agency JICA and the Coalition for African Rice Development, aiming for self-sufficiency, the agriculture ministry said on October 26, according to state news agency AMI. Rice imports rose 84% to 81,000 metric tons between 2021 and 2025, while the import bill climbed to $44mn from $25mn, Agence Ecofin reported, citing Trade Map data.
Analysis: Imports of 81,000 metric tons in 2025 were equivalent to about one-fifth of the 431,700 tons of domestic output the FAO reported for 2024, by our calculation, although the figures may refer to rice at different milling stages and are not directly comparable. Production fell 8.2% in 2024 after a 2023 peak. The ministry identifies water management, irrigation upkeep and access to seed, credit and machinery as obstacles to expansion. It has yet to publish production targets, financing or an implementation schedule. Until it does, importers and millers have little basis for estimating how quickly domestic supply might replace imports.
Source: Agence Ecofin, Ecofin Agency, 'Mauritania Targets Rice Self-Sufficiency With New 10-Year Development Strategy' (27 October 2026), 2025 and 2021 and 2024; AMI (state news agency), AMI, 'La Mauritanie lance un processus d'élaboration d'une stratégie nationale visant à renforcer la souveraineté alimentaire' (26 Oct 2026), Strategy launched October 26, 2026