A press release published last Thursday, October 16 on The website of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry indicates that the government from Chad negotiated the obtaining of a $16 million loan from the OPEC Fund for international development (OPEC Fund ) for the benefit of the rice sector.

Chad is the second largest rice producer in Central Africa after Cameroon. The announced envelope will be devoted to financing the third phase of the Rice Development Project integrated into the Chari-Logone plain (PDRICL 3). The said project launched since 2014 aims to modernise irrigated rice farming in southern regions and south-central Chad through hydro-agricultural developments, the construction of storage stores and drying areas, as well as support technique and equipment to producers in order to increase yields in rice sector.

According to data compiled by Bank of Central African States (BEAC) , paddy rice production in Chad has increased by 55% % year over year to reach 347 000 tonnes in 2024, signed by the m ê me set a record for fili è re.