this is the Agriculture Report.Researchers are developing waysto increase rice production in Africaas part of efforts to fight hunger.Their work was discussedat the African Rice Congress in Cameroon last month.Experts say 60 percent of the thirty million tons ofrice used in Africa is imported from Asia.They estimate that Africa spends $5 billionon rice imports every year.And yet the United NationsFood and Agriculture Organization (FAO) saysthey are still rice shortages on the continent.Rice production was reduced in some countriesafter the economic crisis of the 1990s.Samantana Mark is director general ofCameroon's rice production company, SEMRY.He says that with beginning of the crisis,African countries stopped making investmentsin rice production and in the marketing of rice.Issues like climate change and extreme temperatureshave slowed rice production,especially in areas south of the Saharan desert.Plant disease is also a problem.But some African researchers saythey have developed rice plantsthat can grow in areas with little rain fall.Nigerian-born Adekoya Madinat works withthe Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences."With this research we try to see how much waterexactly is needed for rice productionand try to see which genes are actually recruitedduring the event of droughts.So these genes can be used to develop drought-resistant varietiesthat can be plante with minimal waterand we still have very good yields and food security," said Madinat.Delegates to the congress called forgreat mechanization of African agriculture,and they agree that investing in rice production requires a lot of money.Robert Guei works for the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization.He says that investments in rice productionshould be a top issue for African governments seeking to end hunger and poverty."African governments have to support small companies.These people have to be encouragedso governments have to come out with good policieswhereby these companies are subsidized.Help them to have credits to banks and loansso that they can produce these varieties of riceand distribute and this is what FAO is doing now,talking to governments to set up policies," said Guei.Experts say that currently,African countries produce about 12 million tons of rice per year.And that's the Agriculture Report from VOA Learning English.Transcripts, MP3s and podcasts of our reportsare at 51voa.com.We are also on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitterand iTunes at VOA Learning English.