Ghana To End Reliance on Rice Imports: Ghanaian Business Mogul Siaw Agyepong To Tap Into Local Potential

• Joseph Siaw Agyepong is confident Ghana will soon end its excessive reliance on rice importation in the coming months
• He disclosed during a conference recently that the Jospong Group Rice Project has identified the challenges with rice production and is determined to tap into Ghana's huge potential in rice production
• The businessman has urged the government not to be afraid of banning rice imports to beef up local production

Ghanaian business mogul Joseph Siaw Agyepong has said Ghana's over-reliance on rice imports will soon cease as a new project to tap into local rice production kicks in.

In March this year, his company, the Jospong Group of Companies (JGC) signed deals with some companies from Thailand to use state-of-art technology and expertise to increase Ghana's local rice production.

Operating under the Jospong Group Rice Project, some ten Thai companies will cooperate with local rice farmers and stakeholders and invest resources and technology to reap the best from Ghana's huge potential to produce large quantities of rice.

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Joseph Siaw Agyepong urges rice farmers not to despair over lack of support

Speaking at a two-day "Food Security Conference 2023" held at Gomoa Fetteh in the Central Region, the business mogul urged rice farmers and operators within the value chain not to lose hope in Ghana's potential to produce enough rice to meet local demand.

"Whether the policy is supporting or not, never be discouraged," he admonished the hundreds of stakeholders who attended the conference.

He also urged the government not to be afraid of banning rice imports to beef up local production.

Joseph Siaw Agyepong said a ban on rice imports would encourage local rice farmers to produce enough rice to meet the demand of Ghanaians.

Rice is the 3rd most imported product in Ghana

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According to data by the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC), the world's leading data tool for international trade, in 2021 Ghana imported $552 million worth of rice.

Generally, Ghana is the 13th largest importer of rice in the world. Also in 2021, rice was the 3rd most imported product in Ghana.

Ghana imports rice primarily from: Vietnam ($394 million), Thailand ($53.3 million), India ($50.9 million), China ($21.7 million), and Pakistan ($21.2 million).

The OEC data on Ghana's rice imports also show that the fastest-growing import markets in rice for Ghana between 2020 and 2021 were Vietnam ($111 million), India ($23.6 million), and China ($15.7 million).

Rice production in Ghana, farming and the agricultural GDP

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh has reported in a separate article that rice production in Ghana is a fascinating process because of its arable land.

Located along the tropical region, Ghana is one of the few countries that is more than lucky to have agriculture as the backbone of its economy.

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The agricultural sector in Ghana earns the country the bigger part of government revenue, approximately 42%. For this reason, a lot is being done to diversify the sector.

Part of this process is the growth of rice production in Ghana.

John Dumelo carries bags of rice by himself in Instagram photos

Also, actor John Dumelo in some beautiful photos he shared on his Instagram page, can be seen carrying some bags of rice from his farm.

The hardworking actor and politician could be seen carrying the heavy bags on his shoulders effortlessly, clearly happy with his yield.

Many social media users admired Dumelo's contribution to agriculture in Ghana and called for him to be celebrated.

Source: YEN.com.gh