**Abstract**

Hybrid rice varieties exploit the phenomenon of heterosis to out-yield their inbred counterpart to increase productivity per unit area. Unlike inbred rice varieties whose seeds could be used for replanting season after season, farmers will have to purchase seeds of hybrids every season to obtain the expected yield and other quality attributes. While the hybrid system is a disadvantage to farmers in terms of mandatory seed purchase, it serves as a motivation and opportunity for private seed companies to recoup their investment and therefore encourages their involvement in seed production research and development. Hybrid rice technology originated from China and is well commercialized in Asia and the Americas. Africa is among the few places where hybrid rice is still not fully commercialized. Besides Egypt, many African countries have just begun to exploit the benefits of hybrid rice technology. A number of introduced hybrids have exhibited a 15–20% yield advantage over the available top inbred varieties. Most African countries also have a conducive environment for viable hybrid rice seed production. Besides other pertinent challenges, some which can be addressed technically, there should be a recommended production package that will give farmers the best of yield to enable hybrid rice contribute to attaining rice self-sufficiency in Africa.

**Keywords:** rice, hybrid rice, Africa, increasing rice productivity, hybrid rice adoption

## **1. Introduction**

*Although over 90% globally is produced and consumed in Asia, rice is the fastest growing food source in Africa.* In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), consumption is estimated to be increasing at a rate of 6% per annum, the highest in the world [1]. The rate of increase in consumption of rice in Africa has not been matched by corresponding increases in production and the demand-supply gap keeps widening. It is estimated that Africa imports 36% of its annual rice requirement (18 million metric tons) at a cost of US\$7 billion per annum (FAO, 2019). The continuous dependence on imports places a heavy demand on scarce foreign currency reserves of the countries in the region, which are among the poorest in the world. In order to address this situation, national and international institutions as well as bilateral and multilateral donors formed a consultative group on rice known as the Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD). The goal of CARD was to double rice production in Africa by 2018. Nevertheless, due to outdated production systems, biotic and abiotic constraints as well as low investment in production technologies, only about 60% of the consumer demand is still met through local production [2]. As a response to the 2008 rice crisis and other challenges such as population growth, rapid urbanization,

climate change, and natural resource degradation, national, regional, and international institutions have increased investment toward boosting rice production on the continent. Consequently, many countries have national strategic plans and favorable policies for increasing rice production in place. The current situation is encouraging and requires strengthening existing partnerships to address the challenges across the whole rice value chain to enhance sustainable food security across the continent [2].

Promoting the adoption of productivity enhancing technologies including hybrid rice technology is key to the continent's rice self-sufficiency agenda. Hybrid rice has the penitential of increasing rice productivity and encouraging private sector involvement in seed production research and development in Africa. Since there is currently no proper plant variety protection (PVP) system in place in most of Sub-Saharan countries; the hybrid system could serve as a form of biological intellectual property through the control of the hybrid parents. This chapter examines the procedures of hybrid rice development, current state of development and commercialization in Africa as well as its prospects and challenges.
