Rice farmers in Mali receive prices that are lower than international reference prices. MAFAP analysis suggests that the following measures would improve production incentives for producers:

• ensuring that short-term policies aimed at keeping prices affordable for consumers do not contradict long-term policies aimed at boosting production;
• defining policy objectives more clearly and communicating them to producers and consumers in a transparent way;
• improving infrastructure to lower transport costs, especially between the farm-gate and wholesale markets;
• eliminating illicit costs; and
• providing regular and transparent price information to consumers and producers.

Although the government supports cotton farmers by regulating prices, cotton producers in Mozambique receive prices that are lower than international reference prices. MAFAP analysis suggests that the following measures would improve prices for producers:

• fostering competition along the entire cotton value chain, especially among processing companies (ginners);
• making processing more efficient to increase both the quantity and quality of outputs;
• revising the domestic price fixing system to align producers’ prices with prices in international markets; and
• strengthening the market power of producers, relative to ginners, to improve transparency and equity in cotton market transactions.

Import tariffs and costly import procedures help explain why consumers in the United Republic of Tanzania pay relatively high prices for wheat. Although wheat farmers benefit from higher prices, domestic production has not increased. MAFAP analysis suggests that:

• facilitating procedures for importing wheat and reducing overall import costs would make wheat more affordable for consumers. Indeed, excessive import costs have had an impact similar to that of the tariff in raising domestic prices;
• monitoring re-exports of wheat flour to neighbouring countries would help ensure that lower import tariffs for wheat actually lead to lower domestic prices; and
• more support for research and development, and extension services could help increase wheat production.

Ghana’s dependency on imported rice, and excessive costs and taxes on rice imports, lead to high prices for consumers. However high prices for consumers do not translate into higher prices for farmers.

Rice farmers and traders in Uganda receive higher prices thanks to existing policies. However, rice consumers also pay higher prices since they do not receive subsidies designed to offset high producer prices. MAFAP analysis suggests that increasing rice production is the key to making rice more affordable for consumers while protecting producers.