Sub-Saharan Africa rice statistics: 2026/27 outlook

Rice planning starts with the real scale of the market. The figures below use the United States Department of Agriculture’s October 2026 regional outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa. All rice quantities are reported on a milled basis, and projections can change as the season develops.

What the numbers show

The regional outlook puts projected rice consumption at 42.62 million metric tons, while projected milled production is 23.48 million metric tons. That gap makes dependable field performance, crop timing, water management and post-harvest flow material decisions for any project that aims to add reliable supply.

Imports remain a major part of the supply picture. USDA projects 19.13 million metric tons of regional imports in 2026/27. The estimate is a trade-year measure, while production, consumption and ending stocks use local marketing years, so these figures are best read as a regional market snapshot rather than a single farm balance sheet.

Source and methodology

KaBia Farm LLC compiled this page from the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates, October 2026, regional rice table. The source reports quantities in thousand metric tons. This page converts them to million metric tons to make the scale easier to read, without rounding the underlying source data beyond two decimal places.

The import-share figure is calculated as projected imports divided by projected consumption: 19.13 ÷ 42.62 = 44.9%, shown here as 45%. Each stat card links to the source table. This page is reviewed monthly so its statistic anchors can remain reliable references.