Save local rice producers from losing their businesses - Rice Distributor to government

An Authorized rice distributor in Kumasi, Alhaji Abubakari Musa has made a passionate appeal to the government to come out with measures that could help the local rice producers to sustain their businesses.

Alhaji Abubakari who is the Managing Director of Basfam Enterprise in Kumasi is the main authorized distributor of Tamanaa Rice Company, producers of Nasia quality rice in the country.

The company produces among others, quality parboiled rice, white perfumed rice, brown rice, Tombrown and broken rice respectively.

Speaking to the correspondent, he expressed grave concern about the low sales of local rice. He noted that the situation has discouraged both farmers and companies in the local rice production.

According to Alhaji Abubakari who also doubles as the chairman of the Muslim Executives Foundation (MEF), a pro-Muslim Non-governmental organization based in Kumasi, tons of rice that are ready for market are locked up in farms and warehouses especially at the Tamanaa Rice Company near Walewale in the North East region of the country of which he represents them in the Southern sector as a distributor.

He linked the situation to lack of buyers who always prefer the imported rice to the local ones, insisting that buyers claim the prices of the foreign imported rice are cheaper than the prices of the locally produced rice.

The businessman asserted that the high importation of foreign rice into the country has dumpened the spirits of the local rice producers.

"It is predictable that if nothing is done about it by the government to encourage the rice farmers the possibility of losing their jobs cannot be ruled out," he stated.

Alhaji Abubakari indicated that his employees at his Kumasi warehouse hardly sell three bags of rice per week, a situation he said has forced him to lay off some of the workers due to his inability to meet their monthly salaries.

He said the same challenge is confronting his company's headquarters located up North where Tamanaa Rice Company has reduced its workforce of nearly 500 workers to 50.

"I am so much touched by these unfortunate challenges confronting the local rice producers and their sales representatives across the country hence my humble appeal for government intervention before the farmers finally lose their jobs," Alhaji Abubakari told the correspondent.