Improving Grain Quality of Locally Produced Rice in Africa

(eds M.C.S. Wopereis et al.) 311 than white rice in Kumasi (the second largest city in Ghana), but this is not true for other markets in the country (Sakurai et al., 2006). Nigerians generally prefer cooked rice of a ‘harder’ texture than consumers in neighbouring countries. Watanabe et al. (2002a,b, 2006) showed that many grain quality characteristics such as grain breakage, grain whiteness after milling, and protein and amylose content were significantly different among 47 rice cultivars cultivated under wetand dry-season growing conditions in Côte d’Ivoire. In a different trial, where effects of different harvesting dates on milling and related traits were examined in several varieties, interactive effects of harvesting dates and varieties were significant for husking recovery and head-rice ratio, while no significant interactive effects were observed in grain dimensions, milling recovery and chalkiness (Futakuchi et al., 2001 – see definitions of grain quality below). These results illustrate that grain quality is a function of the variety (intrinsic factors) and the production and processing environment (extrinsic factors). It also underlines the importance of conducting grain quality assessments under standardized cultivation and postharvest practices. Enhancing grain quality of locally produced rice in Africa needs to consider: (i) clear grain Introduction