Implement rice import mechanism to safeguard rice farmers – PFAG urges Government
The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) has urged the government to immediately implement rice import quota system to salvage current losses by farmers and extend such policy to other value chains.
The association acknowledges the government’s decision to introduce a rice import quota policy as a step in the right direction towards boosting demand for locally produced rice and strengthening the country’s domestic rice value chain.
In a press release issued by the association reads;
The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) acknowledges the government’s decision to introduce a rice import quota policy as a step in the right direction towards boosting demand for locally produced rice and strengthening the country’s domestic rice value chain.
However, the Association wishes to state in the strongest possible terms that the urgency of the current glut demands immediate and decisive implementation. Delayed implementation will irrevocably defeat Ghana’s quest to achieve self-sufficiency in rice production, as farmers are rapidly losing the economic incentive to continue production.
Our independent assessment and field monitoring across major rice-growing regions reveal that over 90% of rice farmers currently hold significant unsold stocks of rice, a crisis that has persisted despite several policy interventions announced by government.
As we approach the new farming season, thousands of rice farmers across the country have issued a grave warning that they will abandon rice production entirely unless an immediate and clear pathway to market their existing stocks is provided.
The livelihoods of these farming families, and Ghana’s food security, now hang in the balance.
THE CRISIS ON THE GROUND
The situation is deeply alarming, despite government’s policy interventions. The PFAG’s observations and analysis across key farming communities expose a stark and troubling contradiction, that, while Ghanaian farmers have produced an abundance of high-quality local rice, the market continues to be flooded by imported foreign rice.
This incessant importation, even done by some state agencies that are expected to champion the cause of local procurement, coupled with rampant smuggling across several border points, is systematically undermining the efforts of our hardworking farmers.
Furthermore, the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), which was specifically directed by the President to purchase locally produced rice, has been unable to fulfill this mandate.
The failure of NAFCO to act decisively has left farmers without a critical buyer of last resort, deepening the crisis and sending a demoralizing signal to farming communities across the country. These institutional failures directly threaten Ghana’s food security and sovereignty.
CALLTOACTION
The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, therefore, while welcoming this policy proposal, urgently calls on government to immediately commence full implementation of the rice import quota policy.
Beyond the quota system, we call for a comprehensive and coordinated package of measures to address the current crisis and build a resilient, sustainable domestic rice value chain.
Specifically, PFAG calls on government to:
• Immediately order a moratorium on rice imports for a minimum of six (6) months to allow for the clearance of existing Ghanaian produced rice stocks. This critical measure will provide a breathing space for farmers to recover financially, stabilize farm-gate prices, and restore confidence in the local rice market.
• Direct the National Security apparatus to immediately and decisively clamp down on rice smuggling across all border points. The ongoing illegal importation of rice is a direct economic sabotage of Ghanaian farmers and must be treated with the seriousness it deserves. We call for regular, publicly reported enforcement operations.
• Enact a legal and regulatory framework that mandates all government ministries, departments, agencies (MDAs), state-owned enterprises, public hospitals, schools, prisons, the military, and other public institutions to procure only locally produced rice and other staples. Compliance with this directive must be monitored and enforced with clear sanctions for violations. In that regard, arrangements should be made with farmer organizations, including PFAG to directly aggregate and supply the produce to these institutions.
• Conduct an urgent and transparent review of the operational mandate, procurement processes, financing arrangements, and institutional capacity of the National Food Buffer Stock Company Limited (NAFCO). NAFCO must be restructured and adequately resourced to serve as an effective, efficient, and accountable purchaser of locally produced agricultural commodities, especially during periods of market glut.
• Establish a dedicated price stabilization fund for rice and other strategic staples, to protect farm-gate prices and ensure farmers receive a fair and remunerative return on their investment, even during periods of oversupply.
• Invest in post-harvest infrastructure, including storage facilities, milling capacity, and market linkage platforms, to reduce post-harvest losses and improve the competitiveness of locally produced rice against imported alternatives.
THE BROADER AGRICULTURAL CRISIS
While the rice glut commands immediate attention, the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana wishes to draw the government’s attention to the fact that this crisis is not isolated to rice alone. Farmers engaged in the production of other critical staples, including cassava, maize, yam, soybean, and cowpea face an equally demoralizing situation, with unsold produce, collapsed farm-gate prices, and mounting post-harvest losses threatening the viability of their enterprises.
Ghana’s broader food security and economic resilience depend on the productivity and profitability of these value chains.
The PFAG therefore urges government to adopt a holistic, sector-wide approach to resolving the market challenges facing smallholder farmers. We call for the development of a comprehensive Agricultural Market Stabilization Policy that addresses price volatility, market access, procurement, and storage across all key staple value chains. As we approach the new planting season, farmers need clear and credible signals from government that their investments will be protected and their produce guaranteed a market.
CONCLUSION
The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana reaffirms its commitment to working collaboratively with government and all stakeholders to achieve food self-sufficiency. Farmers are watching, and they are waiting for action. The government must demonstrate, through immediate and concrete steps, that it values the men and women who feed this nation. We stand ready to engage with the relevant ministries and agencies to support the swift and effective implementation of these measures.
