Local rice farmers in the Adansi South District are calling on the government to prioritize the use of local rice in school feeding programs at both the basic and senior high school levels. The farmers argue that this move will help reduce the challenges they face in marketing their produce and the post-harvest losses they currently experience.
The farmers are currently grappling with over 22,500 metric tonnes of paddy rice sitting at various rice mill factories in the district, waiting for buyers. Francis Bartsa Tetteh, a national best rice farmer, highlighted the urgent need to address this situation to prevent more serious problems for the farmers.
The lack of marketing for their produce is discouraging to the farmers, as they have an abundance of rice with no buyers in sight. This is also discouraging the youth from pursuing farming as a career, according to Tetteh. Adansi South, a leading rice-producing district in the Ashanti region, faces a serious lack of infrastructure for processing, storing, and marketing the produce, posing a challenge for the farmers.
Tetteh also emphasized the need for the government to discourage the importation of rice into the country in order to support local producers. He suggested that the school feeding secretariat and the Free Senior High School secretariat could play a significant role by instructing food suppliers to buy only local rice, thus encouraging farmers to increase production and improve their incomes.
Alfred David Mensah, the Adansi South District Director of Food and Agriculture, echoed the challenges faced by local rice producers, emphasizing the need for hotels and restaurants to support them by purchasing local rice. He also mentioned that the production processes, packaging, and storage of local rice have improved significantly over the years, and it is important for Ghanaians to patronize these products to encourage the farmers to continue production.
The district director assured that the ministry is working to position local rice well in the Ghanaian market and reduce imports of the product into the country. This appeal from local rice farmers in the Adansi South District sheds light on the importance of supporting and promoting local agricultural produce to drive economic growth and sustainability in the sector.