Scientists, economists and policy makers from Africa, Asia, Europe and America gathered here on Monday for a four-day seminar on the latest development of rice production that is key to food security and poverty reduction in Africa.

The participants of the first ever Africa Rice Congress were scheduled to compare notes on more than 90 research papers on the latest development of rice production.

These papers will cover such areas as economics, breeding, integrated pest management, technology transfer and natural resource management.

Wang Ren, a Chinese rice researcher who is now the deputy director of the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute, said that the Africa Rice Congress had opened at a time when Africa's demand for rice is growing faster than anywhere else in the world.

The sub-Sahara African countries even have to spend billions of dollars to import millions of tons of rice for local consumption though the region badly needs the money to help it reduce poverty, the professor said.

The sub-Sahara Africa consumes upwards of 20 million tons of rice a year while the region produces 13 million tons by itself with the remainder depending on imports.

In 2004, an import of 5.9 million tons of rice cost the sub- Sahara Africa 1.2 billion U.S. dollars.

Doctor Wang said that with the right seeds and right approaches, the sub-Sahara Africa can produce all the rice it needs for local consumption.

Source: Xinhua