The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong, has announced a significant reduction in the importation of rice by the government.
According to Mr Acheampong, rice importation has been trimmed to 500,000 metric tons of rice per year from 950,000 metric tons per annum.
In an interview on Citi TV’s The Point of View, he noted that this has been possible due to the government’s Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) programme.
“We were importing 950,000 metric tons of rice per annum, and today, it is about 500,000 metric tons of rice and so PFJ has halved the importation of rice,” he said.
He added: “Today, we produce more maize than we consume, and we produce more yam than we consume, indeed, we are the largest exporter of yam in the world. We also produce more plantain than we consume.”
“I am saying on authority that we produce more maize in this country than we consume and the fact that the poultry farmers are unable to buy the feed does not mean the programme has failed.”
According to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the country’s rice imports hit a staggering US$8 billion between 2010 and 2020.
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture says rice is the second most consumed staple food in the country, following maize.
Rice production has shown remarkable growth, surging from 48,800 metric tons in 1970 to 925,000 metric tons in 2019, representing an average annual growth rate of 9 percent.
The Planting for Food and Jobs initiative launched on April 19, 2017, by President Akufo-Addo features five distinct implementation modules.
The initial module, known as PFJ (Crops), is designed to enhance food security and ensure the prompt availability of specific food crops in the market. Additionally, it seeks to create employment opportunities.
On Monday, August 28, 2023, President Akufo-Addo launched the second phase of the government’s PFJ at the University for Development Studies (UDS) in Tamale.
According to the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong, the initiative aims to achieve food self-sufficiency for the country within the next five years.