The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Hon. Eric Opoku, has announced that Ghana is targeting self-sufficiency in rice production by 2028, with a national target of 3.31 million metric tonnes of paddy production.
He said the target would be supported by the implementation of the Regional West Africa Resilient Rice Value Chains Development (REWARD) Project, backed by a US$18.8 million grant from the African Development Bank (AfDB).
Speaking at a press briefing in Accra on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, the Minister said rice had become Ghana’s second most important cereal after maize, with a rising population, urbanisation, and changing consumer preferences pushing demand ahead of domestic production.
According to him, milled rice production increased from about 650,000 tonnes to 900,000 tonnes in 2024 and 960,000 tonnes in 2025.
Despite the increase, Mr. Opoku said local production currently meets only about 56 percent of national demand, leaving approximately 44 percent to be supplied through imports.
He noted that Ghana spends between US320 million and US500 million annually on rice imports, stressing that the money could instead be retained within the local economy to benefit Ghanaian farmers, millers, and traders.
The Minister described the REWARD Project as a major intervention under the government’s Feed Ghana Programme, aimed at closing the production gap and reducing Ghana’s dependence on imported rice.
Under the project, the government will develop 3,200 hectares of land for rice production in the Northern Savannah Ecological Zone and support more than 20,000 smallholder farmers across selected districts.
The beneficiary areas include Tamale Metropolitan, Mion, Savelugu, East Mamprusi, West Gonja, Bawku West, Wa Municipal, Sissala East, and Nandom.
The project will also provide farmers with quality seeds and appropriate mechanisation to increase yields from 3.5 tonnes to 4.5 tonnes per hectare while improving the quality of paddy produced.
Mr. Opoku said the intervention would provide a range of agricultural machinery, including rotary tillers, seed drills, mini crawler combine harvesters, rice transplanters, and boom sprayers.
The government will also identify and equip 10 strategically located rice processing centres with complementary equipment, including mini GEM rice parboiling vessels.
Hermetic storage cocoons will be provided to reduce post-harvest losses, while farmers will be linked to markets and private-sector players to create jobs and improve incomes.
The Minister further disclosed that rice produced under the REWARD Project would help supply schools, prisons, and other public institutions with quality, locally produced rice.
On rice imports, Mr. Opoku said the government was not seeking to ban imports but would introduce measures to ensure that imports contribute to strengthening domestic production.
He announced that import quotas would be linked to local investment, with importers expected to establish verifiable partnerships with local rice producers before import permits are granted.
“We are not banning imports, which would only hurt consumers. Instead, we are channelling the value of imports into local production and empowering our farmers,” he said.
The Minister also announced additional support from the Government of Japan through a ¥394 million (approximately US$2.49 million) grant to strengthen Ghana’s rice value chain.
Under the Japanese CARD Grant Aid Project on the Enhancement of Rice Seeds Production Capacity, Ghana is expected to receive combine harvesters, trucks for transporting harvesters and seeds, seed cleaning machines, maintenance tools, air blowers and dusters, high-pressure cleaners, transformers, and a vehicle for monitoring and supervision.
The equipment is scheduled to arrive in November 2026, with training also planned for value-chain actors to improve quality and competitiveness.
Mr. Opoku urged farmers and other beneficiaries to make effective use of the equipment and interventions being provided, saying their proper utilisation would be critical to achieving sustainable food and nutrition security.
He disclosed that the Ministry, in consultation with the African Development Bank, plans to formally launch the REWARD Project in the first week of November 2026, ahead of the 2027 production season.
The Minister expressed confidence that the project would be implemented within record time and contribute significantly to transforming Ghana’s rice industry and reducing the country’s rice import bill.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
