To compensate for the shortfall in national rice supply, the report suggests that Ghana must produce 1.0 million metric tons of rice locally to achieve self-sufficiency. This move could potentially save the nation approximately $500 million in annual import expenditure.
To promote local production, the government imposed a ban on cereal exports from September 2021 to September 2022, aiming to stabilize prices and ensure market availability of local rice. This decision followed Ghana’s annual import bill exceeding $10 billion, encompassing rice, fish, poultry, and palm oil.
According to Agriculture Research for Sustainable Development (CIRAD, 2007), Ghana’s rice self-sufficiency ratio declined from 38% in 1999 to 24% in 2006 but increased to about 43% in 2020. The report emphasizes the need for increased efforts to enhance the competitiveness of the local rice value chain for sustainable growth and economic transformation.
In 2017, the Government of Ghana launched its flagship policy, the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ), to modernize agriculture, improve production efficiency, and achieve food security and profitability for farmers. The second phase of the PFJ was launched in July 2023, incorporating information technology to address the shortcomings of the initial phase.
