The Government has set a strict three-month timeline to purchase all remaining unsold local rice from farmers across the country, following a bumper harvest that left large volumes of paddy and milled grains in local farming communities.
Speaking at a townhall meeting in Bolgatanga as part of President John Dramani Mahama’s “Resetting Ghana Tour” of the Upper East Region, the Minister for Food and Agriculture Eric Opoku announced that the government has identified and tasked a selected group of licensed millers to immediately begin procuring the remaining excess stock directly from farmers. He emphasized that measures have been put in place to ensure that the millers buy strictly from the farmers.
A Fair Price to Protect Farmers’ Livelihoods
Lamenting the plight of many local producers who were previously forced by market pressures to sell their produce at distressed, rock-bottom prices, the Minister revealed that President Mahama issued a directive to offer farmers a significantly higher, fairer price.
To back this directive, sources indicate that the government is offering GH₵500 per 50kg bag of locally produced rice. The guaranteed higher price is designed to protect farmer incomes, restore dignity to the sub-sector, and align with the deliberate policy of positioning agriculture as a lucrative commercial enterprise rather than a mere tool for basic survival.
Addressing Farmer Anxiety and Boosting National Security
Thousands of local farmers across major rice-producing belts including the Upper East, Northern, Volta, and Greater Accra regions, have expressed severe anxiety over the delay in clearing their harvests. Industry operators warned that an inability to offload current stocks could heavily demotivate farmers, forcing many to scale back production in the upcoming planting season.
By stepping in to mop up the remaining yield within 90 days, the government aims to rebuild farmer confidence. A fully absorbed harvest guarantees that producers will have the capital and incentive to expand cultivation next season, a key pillar in the national agenda to achieve total self-sufficiency in rice production and eventually transition Ghana into a net exporter.
Institutional Feeding & Consumer Mindsets
While local rice consumption in Ghana has steadily improved in recent years, a significant section of the population continues to favour imported brands due to long-standing consumer habits.
To break this pattern, the government through the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), which already holds about 120,000 metric tonnes in national storage, is routing all procured local rice directly into secondary schools across the country.
This strategic policy instantly clears the surplus stock sitting with local farmers and millers while simultaneously introducing millions of students to highly nutritious local rice daily. By doing so, the state is cultivating a new generation of regular consumers who will grow up appreciating the quality and health benefits of Ghanaian-grown rice.
With millers now deployed and funding allocated, the government remains confident that all remaining farmgate stocks will be completely cleared within the next three months.
