Ghana Plans to Ban Rice, Poultry Imports
editorOctober 31, 2019 4:45 Pm
Rice importers would be ordered to cease their trade in three years if everything goes as planned, Ghana’s Agriculture Minister, Dr. Owusu Afriyie-Akoto, has said.

The same applies to persons who import poultry products.


The policy, if implemented would also be similar to the situation with Nigeria, its neighboring country.

Afriyie-Akoto said the government was working fervently to “establish the local capacity” to meet demand.

Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express programme on Wednesday, he said this should be completed in the next three years.

After that, merchants would be expected to trade with local farmers.

Currently, most of the rice consumed locally comes from overseas.


Deputy Trades Minister, Robert Ahomka Lindsay, had previously said rice importation alone takes 82 per cent of all imports into the country.

This cost more than $1 billion, almost two per cent of the country’s GDP in 2018.

This must stop, the Agriculture Minister said.

The government intends, with the help of its flagship planting for food and jobs programme, to increase the yield of farmers.


This, Afriyie-Akoto said should be achieved in three years, paving way for the order to stop imports.

He said this is not over-ambition, neither does it violate WTO protocol.

The government has been selling fertilisers to farmers at subsidised rates as part of the planting for food and jobs programme.

The Minister says with 50 per cent government subsidy on fertilisers for smallholder farmers, a farmer who was previously producing three bags of rice per acre was now producing 10 bags.


This has massively increased jobs since more hands are needed to harvest the produce and process same for the market.

The minister put the figure of jobs created at 745,000 in 2017 but that number has gone up to 900,000; he says.

Meanwhile, the government has introduced a spinoff of the programme, rearing for food and jobs, as a result of the success chalked from the original policy.
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Nigeria has set precedence which other West African nation will follow.

But this seems to be better than Nigerian own, cos there is a plan to be followed here to achieve their aim

God for them

Good morning Ghana

They hope to be self sufficient in rice production by 2023.....

By then, Nigeria would've moved from rice to another product!

Copy copy.
Ghana should be very careful how they copy us, they might copy the wrong thing.

Ori yin tin pe di e di e..... Una head Don DEy set small small local food the first thing a nation should tackle. How can a country import virtually everything needed for her to survive.

Kudos to all the heads that decide this ban on some foods importation.

Ghana copying Nigeria Policy after condemning it

Once upon a time, Nigeria leads, other African countries follow. I will love to see those days again. It's possible!

Ghana is not importing any sh1t. Why are nigerians so naive? Chai, I tire for una.

wwwihy:
Ghana copying Nigeria Policy after condemning it

Rednaxelot:
Nigeria has set precedence which other West African nation will follow.

But this seems to be better than Nigerian own, cos there is a plan to be followed here to achieve their aim

And there is no plan in Nigeria, correct? MUMU. If you are too dumb and lazy to learn the plan, then kindly STFU.

Rosskiki:


And there is no plan in Nigeria, correct? MUMU. If you are too dumb and lazy to learn the plan, then kindly STFU.

A wise man would have proven there were plans by stating the plans to counter the claim.

Why didn’t you prove yourself to be wiser the the lunatics roaming the street?

So if Nigeria with the population of 200+ million is importing rice, Ghana with the population of Lagos state is importing too.


Nawa for Ghana o.
Africans set!!