Vietnam's rice-farming model is turning Africa's abandoned farmland into paddies. Led by Dr. Nguyen Dang Nghia of the Tropical Agriculture Research and Consulting Center, the transfer of Vietnamese-style rice farming is advancing to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, Tanzania, Sudan, Angola and Cuba. In Cuba, 23 years of cooperation (2002-2025) halved annual rice imports from 450,000 tonnes to 210,000 tonnes. Vietnam is shifting its position from an exporter of "commodity rice" to an exporter of a "low-emission rice-farming model."
News details
Dr. Nguyen Dang Nghia's team carried out a survey mission on abandoned land in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) together with a Vietnamese rice company, confirming the potential to revive rice farming by combining irrigation infrastructure with short-cycle varieties. In Sierra Leone, the introduction of irrigation turned rainy-season-dependent single cropping (once a year) into two to three crops a year. In Mozambique, Tanzania and Sudan, cases have also been reported where, after infrastructure repair, yields reached 8.5 tonnes per hectare.
In 2024, an intergovernmental cooperation agreement was signed with the government of Angola, and full-scale implementation begins in 2026. In the 23 years of cooperation in Cuba, average yields expanded from 2 tonnes to 5 tonnes per hectare, which was the main cause of the halving of rice imports (450,000 to 210,000 tonnes). Behind the push into Africa are the diversification strategy of Vietnamese rice exporters and local governments' need to strengthen food security.
Background: from commodity rice exports to "model exports"
Vietnam has long competed on volume as the world's second- or third-largest rice exporter. However, under the government's policy to complete the "One Million Hectares of High-Quality, Low-Emission Rice program" by 2030, it is shifting its axis of competition from "unit price x volume" to "low-emission cultivation know-how." Abandoned and low-productivity land in African and Caribbean countries can be turned into paddies in a short time by using Vietnam's irrigation technology, short-cycle varieties and mechanization know-how. For exporters, this also becomes a sales channel for seed, agrochemicals and machinery.
Cooperation record by major country
| Country | Nature of cooperation | Main results |
|---|---|---|
| Cuba | 2002-2025 (23 years) | Imports 450,000 to 210,000 tonnes, yield 2 to 5 tonnes/ha |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Survey and paddy conversion of abandoned land | Organized by a Vietnamese rice company, in the implementation stage |
| Sierra Leone | Irrigation introduction, short-cycle varieties | One crop a year to two to three crops, yields sharply higher |
| Mozambique | Infrastructure repair, cultivation technique | Reached 8.5 tonnes/ha |
| Tanzania | Same as above | Same as above |
| Sudan | Same as above | Same as above |
| Angola | Intergovernmental agreement signed in 2024 | Full-scale implementation from 2026 |
Industry and local reaction
Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE) frames "the expansion of Vietnamese-style rice farming in Africa and the Caribbean as a strategic evolution from a major rice exporter to a food-security partner." An official of Sierra Leone's agriculture ministry, in local reporting, praised how "Vietnamese experts turned fragile, rainy-season-dependent single cropping into double and triple cropping by combining irrigation with short-cycle varieties."
The management of Vietnamese rice companies is planning to monetize through a two-stage rocket of not only export deals but also local seed-rice sales and the building of contract-farming networks. Dr. Nguyen Dang Nghia himself, in an interview with the local paper Dan Tri, said, "Rather than simply selling rice, we are providing a method that can reproduce in five years the path Vietnam's rural areas walked over 30 years."
Practical information for Japanese agriculture stakeholders and importers
For Japanese general trading houses and food manufacturers, this model export connects with TICAD (the Tokyo International Conference on African Development) and the "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" strategy. Options take on reality: partnering with Vietnamese companies to produce locally in Africa and sell within the region, or to function as a re-export hub toward Japan. In particular, combined with JICA and JBIC yen loans, joint investment in irrigation infrastructure and rice-milling plants becomes possible.
Also, rather than importing rice itself, in the context of "transferring Vietnamese-style rice-farming know-how to countries across the region," a path opens for Japanese precision-agriculture firms, drone companies and seed companies to take part in African projects as subcontractors to Vietnamese companies. From an OEM maker's viewpoint, it is worth keeping in mind the possibility that Africa, as a low-cost, stable-supply base, becomes a reality over a 10-year span.
Ripple effects on the industry
Vietnam's position in the global rice market is being established not only in export volume but also as a "know-how provider." This means, in addition to quantitative competition with Thailand, India and Pakistan, a presence as a "South-South cooperation player" on a par with IRRI (the International Rice Research Institute) and Japanese research institutions. As its track record in Africa builds up, its positioning as a recipient of technical commissions from the World Bank and FAO and as a destination for corporate ESG investment will also strengthen.
On the other hand, because domestic demand for labor, seed rice and agricultural machinery is also pulled outward, a new career path of "agricultural engineer stationed in Africa" is emerging for young domestic workers. The curricula of Vietnam's rice-farming universities and agriculture faculties are also expected to be updated in response to the geographic expansion.
Practical information summary
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Lead organization | Tropical Agriculture Research and Consulting Center (CARES) |
| Leader | Dr. Nguyen Dang Nghia |
| Partner countries | Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, Tanzania, Sudan, Angola, Cuba |
| Cuba results | Rice imports 450,000 to 210,000 tonnes, yield 2 to 5 tonnes/ha |
| Highest yield in Africa | 8.5 tonnes/ha |
| Cooperation funding sources | Intergovernmental agreements, Vietnamese rice companies, international organizations |
| Country starting in 2026 | Angola (intergovernmental agreement in place) |
Summary
The expansion of Vietnamese rice farming into Africa is a symbolic move marking a turning point from commodity exports to "know-how exports." The 23-year record in Cuba is not a one-off success but confirms the maturity of a systematized package of irrigation, varieties and cultivation management. For Japanese stakeholders, it is a theme worth attention from three angles, TICAD strategy, South-South cooperation and raw-material procurement, and turning it into joint projects with Vietnamese companies is well worth considering over the medium to long term.
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