RICE PRODUCTION - THE STORY SO FAR

The agricultural industry is no more attractive because “things are falling apart”.

The Northern Region was known to be the “Rice city”, because of the higher quantity of rice that was produced there. Today, the region can not boost of such right again because the developments in the rice industry is “nothing to write home about”.

Ghanaians can not get locally produced rice to buy because the market is full of imported rice.
 

The going down of the rice industry in the northern region can be attributed to the political instability of the country which we had some time ago and the attitude of governments not continuing good policies started by their predecessors.

On the other hand, one would also argue that there are valleys of rice farmers and the labour force is still available but there is lack of potential will to mobilize resources, equipment and machinery for farmers to go into commercial farming.

Imported rice has become very common on the market hence the gradual demise of locally manufactured rice.

Some years back, workers of the Ghana Railways Corporation (GRC) were given locally manufactured rice as part of their Christmas bonus to motivate them to work harder.
The Railways itself has collapse and nothing can be said of the rice industry, bringing everything to “square one”.

Infrastructural support such as machinery and equipment, adequate input such as fertilizers, agro-chemicals, the breakdown of engineering service centres for farm machinery and equipment and the removal of subsidies on farm inputs had led to the abandonment of large-scale rice production.

Measures should be taken to reduce the importation of rice and promote the once manufactured locally and also to attract foreign investors.

Ekow Aidoo
paanyan7@gmail.com