Ghana’s rising rice imports have once again come under the spotlight, with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) warning that weak domestic policies continue to undermine self-sufficiency despite promising growth in production.
According to the USDA’s Grain and Feed 2025 Report, Ghana’s milled rice output for the 2025/2026 season is projected at 900,000 metric tons, an 18% increase from last year on the back of “favorable weather and improved farmer participation.” But the optimism comes with caution. The Ghana Meteorological Agency has forecast “normal-to-below-normal rainfall and longer dry spells in 2025,” raising fresh concerns over the sustainability of gains.
The gap between supply and demand is already visible in prices. The USDA highlights that “between March 2024 and January 2025, the average price of a 100kg bag of rice increased from GH¢200 to GH¢650, a 225 percent jump.” Though prices eased to GH¢400 by March 2025, they remain more than double year-on-year levels. Millers, however, argue that lower prices for paddy rice are linked to quality issues, as “grain with low moisture content breaks more during milling, reducing quality and affecting supply to the market.”
But while production is rising, demand is rising faster. The report projects Ghana’s rice consumption at 1.80 million MT in 2025/2026, up from 1.75 million MT the year before, driven by population growth and shifting dietary preferences. Urban consumers in particular continue to favor imported fragrant long-grain varieties. “Ghana’s urban population prefers fragrant long-grain rice, which is largely imported,” the USDA noted.
Imports are expected to reach 1.0 million MT, representing more than half of national consumption. With 70% of rice sold in Ghana imported, Vietnam, India, and Thailand remain the dominant suppliers. U.S. exports, by contrast, have steadily declined, losing ground to cheaper Asian competitors. Pricing data reinforces the disparity: as of early 2025, a 25kg bag of Thai fragrant rice averaged GH¢690, Vietnamese rice GH¢490, and local long-grain rice GH¢535.
Rice now ranks as Ghana’s second most important cereal after maize, with per capita consumption at 51kg. Yet the sector faces deep-seated bottlenecks poor irrigation infrastructure, limited mechanization, and weak processing capacity. “Unless these bottlenecks are addressed, Ghana will remain import-dependent, leaving consumers vulnerable to global price shocks and exchange rate pressures,” the USDA warned.
Government efforts, including integrating local rice into the National School Feeding Programme, have made little dent in consumer preferences. The USDA concludes that while Ghana’s production trajectory is encouraging, “quality concerns, irregular supply, and distribution challenges continue to undermine local rice competitiveness.”
