In a self-damning expose, the man who has had control over Ghana’s trade over the past five years, charged with the primary responsibility of assisting local industry to grow, says that Ghana spent an estimated total of GH¢6.874 billion (over one billion dollars) on the importation of rice from 2017 to 2020. This is obviously to the detriment of the local rice industry.
One can imagine the effect of this type of finance in Ghana’s largely agrarian rural areas.
The revelation by the Trade Minister is also against the backdrop of one of the most vaunted projects of the President Akufo-Addo-led New Patriotic Party government, the policy of Planting for Food and Jobs. This policy has been largely at the beck and call of the Minister for Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto.
In addition, the country also imported the following food products from 2017 to 2020: Listing a grim litany of failure of agricultural policy in parliament, Mr. Alan Kyeremateng, popularly known as Alan ‘Cash’ also revealed that another agricultural product, fish, was also heavily imported by Ghana, to the tune of GH¢3.993 billion. This is at a time that most of Ghana’s internal water bodies have been allowed to be destroyed by unemployed youth chasing yellow metal. Another agricultural product, chicken (processed) was imported to the tune of GH¢1.881 billion, meat to the tune of GH¢487 million, common vegetables to the tune of GH¢281 million and poultry to the tune of GH¢184 million.
Both Mr. Alan Kyeremateng and Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto are believed to be Presidential Hopefuls in the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Mr Alan Kyerematen, Minister for Trade and Industry made the disclosure when he appeared before Parliament to respond to a question by Mr Murtala Muhammed Ibrahim, Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale Central on how much the state spent on the importation of rice and other foodstuffs into the country in the past four years.
Mr Kyerematen also acknowledged from the figures provided that the country was spending close to $1 billion on the importation of food items.
Responding to a question whether the government has lifted a ban on small rice importers, Mr Kyerematen stated that rice was a staple food in the country and one had to maintain a delicate balance between the quantity of rice produced locally at any point in time and what was important was to ensure that there were no serious shortages.
He said the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture continue to monitor the production of rice, and at the appropriate time when the volumes of local rice increase significantly the government would be able to restrict the importation of rice.
Mr Kyerematen also maintained that the government has not lifted any ban imposed on the small rice importers but the Ministry has a management policy to ensure that there were no shortages in the system.
He noted that as and when there is significant local rice production in the country the Ministry would be able to determine at that point what decision to take in respect of the ban.
