Rice wholesalers urge government to invest in rice production

The Sales and Marketing Executive, Imaginario Company Ltd, Maame Ama Adjem has urged government to invest massively in the country's local rice production and processing.

She said this will reduce rice importation from other parts of the world.

According to her, the move will further encourage more farmers to engage in rice farming to produce quality rice which will help the government achieve its aim.

"Investing in local rice production to produce quality rice to suit the taste of Ghanaians will enable the government to stop rice important into the country and would help the government generate more internal revenues to the growth of the economy," she stated.

Maame Ama Adjem said this at the Imaginario Company Ltd official launch of peacock rice on Saturday, October 2 at the Kaneshie Market in Accra.

A survey revealed that Ghana loses over 1 billion cedis to the importation of rice annually.

From 2010 to 2019, it is estimated that Ghana spent $3.9 billion importing processed rice mainly from Asia, which is an average of almost $400 million or more than GHC2 billion per year.

Ghana is expected to also ban rice importation in 2022.

Maame Ama Adjem speaking about the Peacock rice said, "Peacock Thai Fragrant rice has been consumed for many years as premium rice in the UK. The Thai Hom Mali Rice variety is recognised for its quality and has a shiny long grain with a colour similar to that of Jasmine flour.

When cooked it has a soft sticky texture and a natural aroma of pandan leaves and a delicious taste. The popularity and reputation of this rice are increasing, as a result, it is now becoming more of an everyday occasion."

She continued, "we have a quality product we believe in and thus we want to bring it closer to our customers, the wholesalers. The rice market is saturated with many products but we stand out. Kaneshie, advantageous because it’s close to many of our key wholesalers. Our mission is to bring quality products to the consumer but more importantly to adhere to rules and regulations. Therefore, we will continue to do our best to bring quality products to our customers within the laws of the country."

Speaking on the idea to venture into local rice, Maame Ama added that Local rice is an option they will like to explore.

"Our priority is how we bring quality products to our consumers at competitive pricing. We are in business for the long term. We are extremely proud of our progress, though we have had our fair share of the Covid-19 but so far so good.

We deal with a global supplier that adheres to the highest quality standards. Therefore, the quality of our product is second to none," she explained.