The Ghana Soybean Farmers and Aggregators Association has urgently appealed to the government to lift the export ban on grains, arguing that it endangers the livelihoods of farmers dependent on exports.
Last Monday, Minister of Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong, announced an immediate ban on the export of key grains, including rice, corn, and soybeans, in response to the severe dry spell affecting northern Ghana. The government introduced this measure to prevent a potential food shortage due to drought-related crop failures.
Acheampong stated, “With immediate effect, the government is placing a ban on the export of grains, including maize, rice, and soybeans, until the situation normalizes. This measure is essential to ensure the availability of these critical crops on the domestic market.”
He also assured farmers, “Any farmer with stock and interested in selling should contact our district directors across the country, our district aggregators, or the directorate of crops at the Ministry of Agriculture. This is to ensure that farmers do not suffer adversely as a result of this ban.”
Reacting to the ban, Abdul Hakeem Issah, Director of Administration for the Ghana Soybean Farmers and Aggregators Association, expressed concerns about the ban, stating, “The recent ban on grains cannot solve the problem. And what we are saying is that the situation can still be resolved. It is not bad yet.”
Mr. Issah highlighted the potential harm to farmers, especially those who had planned to export their produce, questioning whether they would receive fair prices from the government: “Some farmers borrowed to produce just for exportation; are they going to receive the same prices from the government, who intend to buy from them?”
He also criticized the effectiveness of the buffer stock initiative, stating, “If the buffer stock is effective and efficient, there is no need for the export ban.”
