INTERVIEW: Guinea-Conakry’s rice imports to stabilize in 2026 as government incentivizes local production

Guinea's reliance on rice imports is expected to stabilize in 2026 as the government is incentivizing local production amid rising consumption; however, India will continue to remain a reliable partner, Saikou Oumar Diallo, president of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Crafts of Matam and Vice-President and Head of Trade for the Conakry Regional Chamber, told Platts, part of S&P Global Energy.

"Our government, especially our newly elected president [who took office on Dec. 28 for a seven-year term], is prioritizing education and agriculture," Diallo said on the sidelines of the India International Rice Summit in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, on Jan. 10. "The government encourages rice importers to invest in agriculture to increase local production."

"Looking at the past four years, production of rice has stabilized, at 2 million metric tons in 2024-2025 [January-December, according to the Minister of Agriculture]. In 2021, the gap between production and consumption was around 900,000 mt. By 2023, it decreased to about 800,000 mt, indicating a slight increase in local production due to government initiatives," Diallo said. "For 2025, the gap is expected to be around 800,000 mt, so local production is gradually rising."

"According to the Minister of Agriculture, rice production of the country in 2024-2025 (Jan-Dec) was around 2 million mt," he added.

However, Guinea's rice production for MY 2025-26 (October-September) is estimated at 2.3 million mt, according to the US Department of Agriculture, a 5% decline year over year.

The Chamber of Commerce of Matam is a committee of 17 buyers from Conakry, which accounts for 90% of Guinea's imports.

The delegation from Guinea visited the India International Rice Summit to "explore ways to streamline the connection between Conakry and India, aiming to bypass intermediaries," Diallo said. "Direct contact with suppliers in India would allow us to connect buyers in Guinea directly to producers in India, reducing costs and improving efficiency."

India to remain a reliable sourcing partner

"We import rice primarily from India, which accounts for the largest share of our imports," Diallo said. "We also import from Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam, but about 80% of our rice imports come from India because the quality is good and the service is reliable."

Conakry's demand for rice is rising amid an increasing population.

India's exports to Guinea were at 571,987.18 mt from April to October 2025, 14% higher year over year in the same period, according to the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority's data.

"We want to reduce imports and instead boost domestic farming, as we are also rice producers. However, our current production cannot meet the needs of our population, which is why we continue to import more than we produce each year," Diallo said. "Our goal is to increase local production to support our economy and fill the gap by importing, mainly from India, but also from Pakistan, China, Vietnam, and other countries."

"With our population rising from 11 million in 2010 to about 15 million now, rice imports remain necessary as local production cannot yet meet the increasing demand," Diallo said.

Price, quality to drive sourcing decisions

India is the first preference for Guinea because of consumers' taste preferences and price point.

"Yes, first and foremost, the quality is good. Secondly, the service is satisfactory, and communication with suppliers in India is easy. All these factors make India our preferred country for sourcing rice, and the prices are reasonable as well," Diallo said.

Platts assessed India 5% white rice at $347/mt Jan. 12, $94/mt low year over year, and Parboiled 5% at $354/mt, $87/mt down year over year.

"However, we always compare quality and price. If another country, such as Thailand, offers better quality or price, we may consider sourcing from there," Diallo said. "Our priority is to provide affordable and quality rice to our population."

Guinea imports both white and parboiled non-basmati rice.

According to S&P Global Energy CERA, India's rice production is expected to reach 151.8 million mt in MY 2025-26 (October-September), up 1% year over year, while exports are projected at 24 million mt during the period, up 5.2% from a year earlier.