Between 2017 and 2020, Ghana spent an estimated total of GH6.874 billion on rice imports.
During the same time period, food products such as fish (GH3.993 billion), chicken (GH1.881 billion), beef (GH487 million), vegetables (GH281 million), and poultry (GH184 million) were imported.
This was revealed by Trade Minister Allan Kyeremanten when he went before Parliament to answer a question from Tamale Central MP Murtala Muhammed Ibrahim about how much the government spent on rice and other food imports in the last four years.
The data from the sector minister comes as the government announces intentions to limit rice imports by 2022 in order to increase domestic rice production.
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According to recent forecasts, Ghana’s Deputy Food and Agriculture Minister, Kennedy Nyarko Osei, stated on October 22, 2019, that the country is working around the clock to halt rice importation by the end of 2022.
In an earlier interview, he revealed that the two crops they are focusing on are rice and soya. Soya because of the poultry industry and rice because of import substitution.
Responding to a question on whether the government has lifted the ban on small rice importers, Mr. Kyeremanten said rice was a staple food in Ghana and as such one had to maintain a delicate balance between the quantity of rice produced locally and what was imported to ensure that there were no serious shortages.
Mr. Kyeremanten stressed that the government has not lifted the ban imposed on the small rice importers but the Ministry has a management policy to ensure that there were no shortages in the system.
He explained that the Ministry would review its position on rice imports when there was significant local rice production in the country.
