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| ▲ Agriculture Minister Chung Hwang-keun (3rd from L) joins ministers of eight African countries for a press briefing in Seoul on July 10, 2023, on the K-rice belt project. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ This file photo, provided by South Korea's agriculture ministry on June 27, 2023, shows Minister Chung Hwang-keun visiting Guinea to discuss cooperation on food and the agriculture sector. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) S Korea-Africa-rice project
(LEAD) S. Korea launches 'K-rice belt' initiative with 8 African nations
(ATTN: ADDS more details, comments in paras 5-10, photo)
SEOUL, July 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea launched the "K-rice belt" initiative with eight African nations Monday to provide them with quality rice varieties and share its farming know-how, ensuring their sustainable food security, the agriculture ministry said.
As part of Seoul's official development assistance (ODA), the project calls for supplying high-yield rice varieties and agricultural machines, helping Africa build irrigation and other necessary facilities, and sharing experiences and technologies regarding crop cultivation and distribution.
For the implementation, South Korea signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with eight African nations -- Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Ghana, Cameroon, Uganda, Kenya and Guinea Bissau -- in Seoul earlier in the day, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
The initiative aims to harvest some 2,000 tons of rice varieties in Africa this year, with the figure to rise to over 10,000 tons combined per year starting 2027, a level enough to feed around 30 million people in the underdeveloped nations annually, it added.
In 2020, African nations consumed 301.16 million tons of rice but only produced 210.54 million tons amid the lack of necessary infrastructure and technologies and poor crop yields.
"We signed an MOU with the respective nation to better meet each nation's specific needs given unique circumstances and to achieve tangible results. This goes beyond simple food aid as we seek to let them know how to grow crops on their own," Minister Chung Hwang-keun said during a press briefing.
"This project will not only help resolve food crisis in Africa but develop their agriculture industry and the broader economy. It will also help achieve the world's sustainable development goals by protecting the African continent," he added.
South Korea plans to earmark US$80 million for the project by 2027, and it "can further expand the project as more African nations have voiced hope for participating in the project," according to the minister.
Later in the day, the ministry will hold seminars on South Korea's ODA programs and ways to conduct the K-rice belt project in a successful manner.
The visiting African ministers are also scheduled to visit rice processing plants, smart farms and farming equipment manufacturing facilities in South Korea on Tuesday, the ministry said.
During a session of the Group of Seven summit held in Japan in May, President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed to enhance South Korea's support for nations facing a food crisis through various ODA programs and to double the country's food aid to the World Food Program to 100,000 tons per year.
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