Harvesting diplomacy: Korea’s Africa rice initiative hits 10,000-ton milestone

“A Korean-backed rice initiative in Africa has crossed a symbolic milestone, producing more than 10,000 tons of rice seed in just three years as Seoul deepens its push to position agricultural aid as a pillar of global food security. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Rural Development Administration said Thursday that the K-Rice Belt project produced 6,365 tons of high-yield rice seed across seven African countries in 2025. The total exceeded this year’s target of 4,752 tons by 34 percent and marked a 79 percent increase from last year’s output of 3,562 tons. With this year’s harvest included, cumulative production under the program reached 12,248 tons since its launch in 2023, surpassing the 10,000-ton mark for the first time. The K-Rice Belt project is Korea’s flagship agricultural development assistance program aimed at strengthening food security in African countries with weak rice production infrastructure. Participating countries currently include Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Ghana, Cameroon, Uganda and Kenya, with Sierra Leone newly added this year. Ugan

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