Farmer Frank Kukubor has remarked that 40% of the nation’s rice is produced in the Volta region.
However, he said that there have been many difficulties in the region’s rice production, with the lack of mechanical driers being the main issue.
Mr. Kukubor explained that the government’s unwillingness to assist smallholder farmers leads to the post-harvest losses by making mechanical driers unavailable.
Speaking at the Ghana Economic Forum in Accra on Wednesday, October 26, 2022, he asserted that many farms have been submerged due to the climate changes experienced in recent times.
He noted that farmers cannot import goods now because of the Cedi depreciation against major trading currencies, especially the US dollar.
“Volta will be referred to as the rice region but is having serious issues with that sector. Inasmuch as the current government is committed to cutting down on importation, already, importation is no longer favourable to importers because of the dollar issue,” he said.
“There isn’t effective mechanization or infrastructure like the mechanical dryer that can at least be able to dry the rice at the quality that is needed so it’s a bit challenge and the post-harvest losses will be more,” he added.
Frank Kukubor called on government to as a matter of urgency pump money into the agricultural sector to help boost the local economy amidst the crisis.