Sub-Saharan Africa’s imports of Indian parboiled rice soar 50% in seven months: USDA
The region has already imported nearly 5 million tonnes of parboiled rice.
AFRICA – Africa’s reliance on India for affordable rice has deepened sharply, with sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) importing nearly 5 million tonnes of Indian parboiled rice in just seven months (October 2024 to April 2025), marking a 50% surge year-on-year, according to the USDA’s latest global grain report.
This volume already exceeds the entire 2020/21 season, underscoring SSA’s heavy dependence on India, which supplies over 25% of Africa’s rice consumption.
According to the USDA, the surge is driven by a sharp decline in prices, with Indian parboiled rice now trading below US$350 per tonne, down from over US$500 per tonne a year earlier.
The price drop followed India’s removal of its 10–20% export duty on parboiled rice in October 2024 after consecutive record harvests, allowing India to offload its surplus stocks to global markets.
SSA accounted for 70% of India’s parboiled rice exports during this period, with major buyers including Nigeria, Benin, Senegal, and Côte d’Ivoire. The USDA notes that Nigeria’s imports alone more than doubled year-on-year, driven by the affordability and suitability of parboiled rice for staple dishes like jollof, waakye, and pilau across the region.
Globally, India’s rice exports are projected to reach 21 million tonnes in 2025, an increase of 3 million tonnes over previous estimates, driven by strong demand in SSA and emerging markets like Bangladesh, which imported 925,000 tonnes in the same period after lifting import restrictions to offset local crop failures.
The USDA projects global rice trade in 2025 to reach 59.7 million tonnes, the second-highest on record, with India remaining the largest exporter, outpacing Thailand and Vietnam. Meanwhile, global rice ending stocks are expected to reach 183.2 million tonnes for 2024/25, with India contributing significantly to this buildup.
However, the USDA cautions that despite this record surge, African import demand is showing signs of softening in the coming months due to oversupply in local markets and rising freight costs, with container shortages further complicating logistics.
Reports indicate that freight rates from India to West Africa have increased by 15% since March, while some African traders have postponed new purchases amid high inventory levels.
Despite the anticipated slowdown, India is projected to maintain its dominance in SSA’s rice import market in the short term, with African nations continuing to prioritize affordability amid volatile exchange rates and persistent food security pressures.
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