Amid the current grain glut in the country, the Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Agribusiness, Anthony Morrison, is calling for an immediate and comprehensive audit of all rice brands on the Ghanaian market.
Anthony Morrison says the unchecked smuggling and the influx of substandard rice threaten the livelihoods of local farmers and the nation’s food security.
Speaking in an interview monitored by The High Street Journal, the CEO expressed concern about what he described as seemingly illegal smuggling of rice, mainly through Ghana’s northern borders.
According to him, this illicit trade not only deprives the government of tax revenue but also exposes consumers to unsafe products while undermining local rice producers.
“There is a seemingly illegal smuggling into the country, mainly coming from the northern borders,” he noted.
Smuggling and Substandard Rice Flooding Markets
The CEO of the Agribusiness Chamber maintains that many of the rice brands on the Ghanaian market may not have passed through proper regulatory channels.
He urged the Ministry of Trade and Industry, together with the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and the Ghana Standards Authority, to immediately move to the markets and authenticate all rice brands currently being sold.
Anthony Morrison explained that the presence of unverified and poor-quality rice undermines consumer trust, hurts local processors, and worsens the grain glut, a situation where locally produced rice remains unsold because cheap, low-quality imports dominate the market.
Demand for a Multi-Agency Audit
The Agribusiness Chamber boss is therefore calling for a coordinated national effort involving key agencies such as the Ghana Revenue Authority, National Security, FDA, and the Ghana Standards Authority to conduct a full market audit.
He explains that whatever rice brand the team picks on the market, they must find out who the importers, processors, and brand owners are, and then check whether they have paid taxes to the government.
He added that comparing declared warehouse stock against actual market volumes would reveal those evading taxes or smuggling goods into the country.
According to him, the government loses significant import revenue due to undeclared rice shipments, and therefore, the exercise must confiscate all brands found to have entered the country through unapproved routes.
“We are calling for a very comprehensive audit of all rice brands on the market. We want the National Security, the Ghana Revenue Authority, and we want all the agencies that should go out there, validate all the brands of rice we have on our market today. Go out there. What you do is that you pick all the brands, then find out who the importers are, who are the processors, and who are branding this,” he insisted.
Protecting Farmers and Ensuring Food Security
The Agribusiness sector player stressed that protecting local farmers is not only an economic necessity but a matter of national survival. He emphasized that everywhere in the world, governments and citizens protect farmers because that is the survival of every nation.
He cautioned that Ghana cannot “import itself out of food security,” adding that the country must prioritize producing and consuming locally grown rice. To him, it is important that as Ghanaians, we have to patronize what our poor farmers struggle and toil to produce for us.
“Everywhere in the world, governments and citizens protect farmers. Because that is the survival of every nation. We can’t import ourselves out of food security. We have to produce. And when we produce as Ghanaians, we have to patronise what our poor farmers struggle and toil to produce for us,” he maintained.
A Timely Intervention Amid Grain Glut
The Chamber’s call comes at a time when local rice farmers are grappling with a grain glut. There are huge stocks of unsold rice due to competition from cheaper imports and weak domestic demand.
Stakeholders believe that a proper audit, coupled with stronger enforcement, could restore order to the market, protect local farmers, and help stabilize prices.
Anthony Morrison believes that the issue is not just about market regulation but about fairness, food safety, and national pride.
