Burkina Faso: Traore Distributes 20 Optical Sorters To Rice Mills To Improve Quality, Competitiveness Of Local Rice

The President of Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, officially handed over 20 optical sorters to rice mills across the country at the Regional Directorate of Agriculture in Hauts-Bassins.

The equipment, valued at 180 million FCFA (excluding taxes) and acquired by the National Office of Major Projects, is intended to improve the quality and competitiveness of locally produced rice.

Speaking at the event, the President emphasised enhancing rice processing capabilities.

We are officially handing over these sorters to you for the benefit of cooperatives and valiant rice producers so that the rice is of very good quality. We hope to eat rice free of all impurities from now on, he said.

Dr. Abdourasmane Konaté, Special Advisor to the President on agricultural issues, described the equipment as strategic for boosting national rice production.

National rice is not competitive, in part, due to the low sorting capacity, which affects the quality of the finished product, Konaté said.

He specified that these sorters are the latest generation optical sorters, with a capacity of 64 million megapixels, capable of sorting all impurities and calibrating rice grains.

The 20 machines vary in processing capacity, with some handling 1.6 tons per hour and others capable of processing 4 to 6 tons per hour. Dr Konaté added that training programmes would be organised to ensure proper use of the equipment.

Representing rice processors, Seydou Konaté, President of the Hauts-Bassins rice innovation platform, expressed gratitude for the initiative.

With the arrival of these technologically advanced machines, it is a sign of relief for us. Our rice will have nothing to envy imported rice, he said. According to him, it will give national rice production more quality and competitiveness, and the rice made in Burkina will take on much more value.

The distribution of the sorters coincided with the President’s visit to inaugurate the Burkinabe Tomato Company, which shows an ongoing effort to promote agricultural development and food self-sufficiency in the country.

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