Ban on grain exportation to be lifted by November – Agric Minister

Bryan Acheampong, the Minister for Food and Agriculture, has disclosed the government’s intention to lift the recently imposed ban on grain exports by November.

This announcement comes as a relief to stakeholders in the agricultural and trade sectors who have been closely monitoring the situation following the abrupt implementation of the export ban due to unexpected grain production shortfalls in northern Ghana due to a dry spell.

The export ban, which was put into effect just last week, was a direct response to alarming reports of decreased grain yields in the northern regions of the country.

These shortfalls are largely attributed to an unusual dry spell that is adversely affecting crop production, raising concerns about food security and the potential for inflationary pressures on grain prices.

The government’s decision to impose the ban was aimed at safeguarding the nation’s food supply, ensuring that domestic needs were met before allowing any grain to be exported.

In an interaction with journalists, Dr Bryan Acheampong expressed confidence that the current challenges would be mitigated by November, allowing the government to lift the restrictions on grain exports.

Dr Bryan Acheampong reiterated that the government is closely monitoring the weather patterns and agricultural outputs in the affected regions.

“We will monitor the situation, but we believe that we will come out of this situation by November. We should be very clear when the northern harvest comes in, and the southern sector comes in, and then the imports come in. By November we should be very clear and so we will monitor and we will apprise the nation.”

—Citi Newsroom