The dependency on imported rice

On a cycle ride through the expansive rice paddies near the village of Oussouye in the Casamance I passed a man who was carrying a 50kg bag of rice from Hanoi, Vietnam.

Africans never used to eat rice. Only since the food shortages of the 70's have they started to import rice instead of using local cereals or tuber crops that take longer to prepare. Nowadays every single Senegalese traditional dish is served with rice! Senegal imports an average of 880 thousand tons of rice per year since 2000, and an average Senegalese person consumes 93kg of rice per year! The rice paddies I was cycling through only produce 15% of the country's rice demand. There are a few new incentives to increase local production - such as New Rice for Africa - "NERICA"

Oh, I just got quite interested in this subject... if you want to read more here are a couple of articles I've just read:
Rice imports in West Africa: trade regimes and food policy formulation
Drive to double African rice production
GAMBIA: Can farmers axe rice imports through ‘Nerica’?