South Korea Donates a Record 150,000 Tonnes of Rice to 17 Countries

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs in South Korea (MAFRA) will send 150,000 tonnes of rice in food aid to 17 countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America and the Caribbean through the World Food Programme (WFP) to help a total of 8.18 million people, including refugees, forced immigrants, and children suffering from nutritional deficiency. This will contribute to alleviating the global food crisis worsened by climate change, international conflicts, etc.

The Republic of Korea joined the Food Assistance Convention (FAC) in 2018, and had since provided 50,000 tonnes of rice in food aid to African and other countries every year. In 2024, the MAFRA doubled the volume of the food aid to 100,000 tonnes of rice, which was sent to 7.67 million people in 11 countries in Africa and the Middle East. In 2025, the MAFRA has increased the volume to 150,000 tonnes of rice for 8.18 million people in 17 countries.

The 17 rice aid recipient countries include the following: 9 countries in Africa (the Republic of Kenya, the Republic of Uganda, the Republic of Ethiopia, the Republic of Mozambique, the Republic of Madagascar, the Republic of Namibia, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, the Republic of Sierra Leone, and the Republic of Guinea-Bissau); 4 countries in Asia (the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, the Republic of the Philippines, and the Republic of Tajikistan); 3 countries in the Middle East (the Republic of Lebanon, the Republic of Yemen, and the Syrian Arab Republic); and 1 country in Latin America and the Caribbean (the Republic of Cuba).

The ships carrying a record 150,000 tonnes of rice will leave South Korea’s seaports—the Port of Ulsan, the Port of Gunsan, the Port of Mokpo, and the port in Busan—in April and October this year, and then the first batch of the shipment will arrive in those countries by July.

As the Korean rice donated arrived in recipient countries by July every year amid global uncertainties such as wars and the COVID-19 pandemic, the recipient countries showed high levels of trust in and satisfaction with the rice aid. Importantly, 90% or more of the recipient countries answered the survey carried out by the WFP in 2024 that they were satisfied or highly satisfied with Korean rice aid.

At the current time when countries in food crisis need the attention and support of the international community more than ever amid global challenges such as climate change, the MAFRA will continue to provide support for such countries on diverse fronts (e.g. the K-Ricebelt project, smart farms, etc.).

The K-Ricebelt project is the Republic of Korea’s official development assistance (ODA) project, aimed to contribute to achieving zero hunger in Africa by building large-scale farms for rice seed production in African countries, producing high-yielding rice seeds, and supplying them to farmers.