Huge illegal trade of rice occurs between Cameroon, Nigeria and Chad.

For more than two decades now, Cameroon has been one of the highest importers of rice despite its vast production potential. Only for 2020, the country imported rice worth USD 357,000,000 to cover its national consumption needs, estimated at 757,000 MT per year. Surprisingly, local companies that cannot produce more than 220,000 MT illegally sell close to 70% of their production in neighboring countries. This trend has been going on for quite some time, and there is no sign of stopping soon. Meanwhile, Thailand enjoys its monopoly on the destination countries' rice market.