Big quantities of rice sold in Cameroon found to be improper for human consumption

This article is a follow-up of our newsletter of January 27, “A strange encounter” which I ended by stating that Thai rice dumped at cut rate prices on West African markets originated from stocks of animal feed. The following article, even though written some time ago in Cameroon, depicts a situation very similar to what we see in West Africa today.

There is a whole range of cereals -  and of rice in  particular - on offer on the Cameronian market. A number of varieties imported from various countries can be clearly distinguished by parameters such as colour, physical aspect, i.e. whole kernels /broken kernels, a mix of half whole and half broken,  nutritional value and caloric content,  depending upon the finishing process.  The annual import data recorded in  Cameroon show a clear increase in consumer demand.  But apart from the diversity of rice varieties on the local market, consumers are much at the mercy of some economic operators  with solely a good profit in mind. They even go so far as putting on sale rice varieties exclusively intended for animal fodder in the country of origin (Far East, South East Asia).

A feasibility study carried out jointly by economic operators and research scientists (all involved in a vast economic conversion project under the Ministry for Industrial and Trade Development) reports that “broken (Thai) rice, or low quality rice, is in fact rice that has been discarded at the processing and packaging stage and is not appropriate for human consumption according to FAO classification standards.”

In stating its macroeconomic case, the study argues : “in biochemical terms a gradual dilution of calories takes place when the rice (not previously parboiled or cooked) is brought to boil. This particular type of rice will take up such a large quantity of water part equivalents (2 to 4 water part equivalent volumes or more) that it becomes altogether soggy when cooked.  It is in fact a product which is filling and which gives the consumer  an illusion of satiety. The energy value of  such rice is therefore difficult to establish.” Imports, and logically also consumption, of large quantities of broken rice is apparently something that occurs in many African countries. Rice imported by African countries has a high content of broken rice. Several reasons for this are given.

Some are related to consumer habits (in Senegal and Mali in particular), but the main issue is money (broken rice is cheaper). Therefore imported varieties tend to have a high rate of broken rice o (15 to 100%). When African traders do not import rice which already has a 15 to 35% content of broken kernels, they regularly buy prime quality rice to which they themselves add large quantities of broken rice, to maximise their profit on the back of low nutritional value. According to nutritional experts the broken rice is just a poor imitation of  rice intended for human food, “it has a high starch content, low protein content and hardly any fibre, minerals or fat”.

Competitive advantage

Broken rice predictably comes at the top of the list of rice varieties used by Cameronian households, as can be gathered from the high demand at grocery stores and the average income level of the population.  Broken rice , which is marketed  in Cameroon as Chinese rice or ancient rice, is something most families  easily can afford. The average price is 265 francs per kilo  at the market  at Deido in Duala, compared to long grain rice (still called fragrant rice/riz parfumé), which costs between 750 and 800 francs. Given the price levels, this last variety is imported in very small quantities in Cameroon (less than 2000 ton/year). Even worse are the data for white and parboiled rice (2/4 long grain rice) such as Uncle Ben’s, going to the wealthy consumers and sold at over 2000 francs per kilo. The locally produced and processed paddy rice is exclusively for export, because it cannot compete with the long grain rice on the home market. Therefore the broken rice , very much in demand although in principle intended for animals, has brought in handsome profits for some tradesmen, but nobody seems to bother much, not even the consumer associations. “To attack importers of such rice would mean attacking a huge  machinery” says one economic operator laconically. If they were honest,  business operators should clearly identify the end consumer of their products, so that  products usually dispatched to feed animals are not mixed up with food for human consumption.