Ghana To Double Rice Production
The Minister of Food and Agricultural, Kwesi Ahwoi has promised to double Ghana's rice production by the next two years.
Currently, the country's farmers produce 21 percent of the national rice requirement, leaving a gap of 79 percent.
Local rice by the Ghanaian farmers is poorly patronized and it has been identified that Ghanaians have developed taste for the imported rice from China, United States of America, Thailand, Vietman, Philippines, among others, putting money in the pockets of the farmers from these nations.
In the 2010 Budget, government announced that it would restore a 20 percent levy and duty, which were removed on the imported rice and other poultry products in May 2008, ostensibly to cushion Ghanaians against the impact of the global food crisis.
The removal of the levies opened the flood-gates for the dumping of foreign food items in the country, which made domestic production largely uncompetitive.
The levies would be re-imposed from January 2010 as part of a larger framework by government to modernize the agricultural sector.
Speaking at three-day International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) workshop in Accra, Mr Ahwoi told the participants that Ghana is determined to transform the current agricultural structure, which has existed over the last five decade to a vibrant sector to improve rural incomes.
The participants, including project managers and operatives from Central and West African attended the 4th regional project implementation workshop and are expected to discuss the ills of projects implementation in the agricultural sector.
Mr Ahwoi hinted that project managers who are currently implementing projects were being monitored, adding, “I will not hesitate to remove them if there are signs of delays.”
Mohammed Beavogui, Director of Western and Central African Division of IFAD, noted that the overall economic performance of the region had improved despite the challenges.
Agricultural growth, he pointed out, has averaged more than 4 percent, making the region one of the highest in the world though from a low base.
“African has taken big steps towards regional integration in recent years with the potential to widen market opportunities to boost economic development and good governance,” he added.
IFAD has committed over $1.3billion to over 50 rural development projects and programmes in West and Central Africa, supporting small-scale farmers with emphasis on youth and women.
Since 1989, IFAD has supported 16 programmes and projects in Ghana with a total amount of $185 million, making it the second largest user of IFAD resources in the region.
Through its operation, IFAD supports the development of the key objectives in Ghana's Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRII).
Mr Beavogui said, “It has one of the best IFAD performing portfolios globally.
The organisation, he announced, has decided to take over the direct supervision of its projects, stressing that his outfit would establish its presence in some of the countries and an office in Ghana, which would start operations in 2010.
By Emelia Ennin Abbey