Farmers Want Gov Support To Improve Local Rice Farming

From Sebastian R. Freiku, Kumasi
LOCAL RICE farmers in the country have appealed to the government to step up its support to rice farmers to increase rice yields to discourage the importation of thousands of tonnes of rice into the country annually, at the expense of scanty foreign exchange.

Statistics indicate that between 60 and70% of Ghana's rice consumption is imported at over US$250 million annually.  But local rice farmers believe Ghana's food security will be ensured if local rice farming is given the needed support.

Local rice farmers, numbering about 1,000 -who have benefited from the Project for Sustainable Development of Rain-Fed Lowland Rice Production, at a stakeholders' forum have appealed to the government to extend the project, which ends in seven months time to enable it to be rolled out in all rice growing regions in the country to make it benefit more farmers, improve yields and ensure food security.

They said local rice is well patronized, as it is delicious, compared to those imported from other countries.

The project, which comes to an end in 2014, has an objective of establishing a sustainable rain-fed lowland rice development model through field activities carried out in model and priority sites in 4 districts in Ashanti region.

The project also has an overall goal of increasing rice yield to more than 4.0 tons per hectare in the Ashanti Region and 3.0 tons per hectare in the northern region, thereby increasing farmers' income.

The National Rice Development Strategy of 2009 indicated that nearly 80% of local rice is produced under lowland conditions by small scale farmers in Ghana.

Following increasing demand for rice, the government of Ghana initiated the Project for Sustainable Development of Rain-Fed Lowland Rice Production between the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) in July, for a five year period, in order to promote local rice production under the rain-fed lowland condition and improve economic conditions of small scale rice farmers in two pilot regions of Ashanti and Northern.

Mr. Shota Katafuh, from the Japan International Co-operation Agency, assured stakeholders of JICA's commitment to the continuation of the project if government decides to expand it.