Local rice producers are urging government to prioritise guaranteed markets for domestically produced rice, arguing that significant investments in the sector risk being undermined without stronger policy support.
The appeal comes from the Association of Ghana Rice Producers and Processors, which says the industry has already done “the hard work” to boost production and now requires targeted interventions to stabilise demand and prices.
An executive member of the Rice Producers and Processors Association, Dr Terence Adda-Balinia, attributed the many challenges in the sector to the lack of priority for the rice value chain.
Among the key proposals by the Association, is a temporary six-month moratorium on rice imports to allow existing local stocks to be cleared. Producers also want the introduction of a transparent import quota system to ensure imports only cover supply gaps rather than compete directly with local output.
The group is further calling on the Ghana Revenue Authority and national security agencies to intensify enforcement against rice smuggling across the country’s borders, which they say continues to distort the market.
In addition, they are pushing for a directive requiring all public institutions—including those under National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), as well as schools, hospitals, and prisons—to procure only locally produced rice.
The producers also want state agencies such as National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) and NADMO to source rice directly from local producers, alongside a system to map and link government institutions to domestic suppliers.
To support farmers and processors, the association is proposing the introduction of annual minimum farmgate prices and the creation of a special financing facility to provide low-interest credit to rice millers, particularly during harvest periods.
Industry players say these measures are critical to sustaining growth in Ghana’s rice sector, improving farmer incomes, and reducing reliance on imports.
Source: businesspostonline
