The Ghana Grain Council has said that both government and the private industry needs a targeted investment approach to address Ghana’s 60% rice import issues.
This was said at the Ghana Grains Forum held in Accra, and was on the theme: “Climate Change and Sustainable Food Security: Collaborative Responses to Ghana’s Grain Crises”.
However, Executive Secretary of the Ghana Grain Council, Mrs. Emily Boahene, said Ghana’s 60% importation of rice made the country vulnerable to global economic shocks, which further threatened its food security.
She said targeted policies to reduce rice importation must prioritize investments in irrigation infrastructure, post-harvest management, and market linkages. The targeted investments she noted could double for effective management.
She said although countries such as Nigeria and Ivory Coast had higher rice consumption than Ghana, they had low rice imports due to a robust local production mechanism.
The Executive Secretary stated that soybeans, another grain, held the prospect of increasing Ghana’s export earnings and local production capacity.
She asserted that Ghana generated annual export earnings of $29 million through soybean exports. Despite this, Ghana lagged behind major soybean producers such as South Africa, Zambia, and Nigeria.
The event underscored the prevailing national discourse on Ghana’s grain potential in view of the dry spell in the northern part of the country.
Experts at the event said the prevailing national crises could significantly affect Ghana’s grain supply, further worsening food security since grain is considered to be a major staple food for the country.
They said a decentralized approach would promote the inclusion of local communities in the supply chain of grains at the community level, which could increase yields and promote employment.
They advised that the multi-sectoral approach must include key relevant institutions such as the Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Works and Housing and Academia.
Further, Dr. Abu Sakara Forster, an agriculturalist, said interventions in the grain sector must be targeted at three key sectors, notably finance, technology, and marketing.
Nonetheless, Ghana’s rice yields from 1.2 metric tonnes to 4.8 metric tonnes annually.
