Dr. Said Boakye
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has called for the establishment of a Rice Development Board (RDB) to help transform the country’s rice sector and reduce dependence on imports.
Executive Director of IFS, Dr. Said Boakye, made the call when he presented an overview of the country’s rice sector on the theme: “Increasing Importation of Rice in Ghana: Can the Country Transform Its Fortunes in the Rice Sector?”
Dr. Boakye noted that, unlike countries such as Thailand and Vietnam, successive governments have largely relegated themselves to the background, focusing only on creating an enabling environment while expecting the private sector to address the challenges limiting rice production.
He said this policy approach has led to market failures in the rice sector, as private actors alone have been unable to improve local rice production to its full potential.
“To correct this market failure, government should take an active role in the rice sector so that Ghana can realise its potential and become a major net exporter of rice,” he stated.
Dr. Boakye proposed that the government should formally establish a Rice Development Board (RDB) as the main agency to coordinate and channel all state interventions in the rice value chain.
“We recommend that the government of Ghana formally establish the Rice Development Board, an agency through which active government interventions in the rice sector should be channelled. The RDB should be adequately funded, and its funding sources clearly defined,” he said.
He explained that the proposed board should oversee production, harvesting, milling, and storage of rice, as well as the provision of certified and quality seeds to farmers. It should also be equipped both financially and technically to ensure the sector’s long-term growth.
According to IFS, establishing the RDB would promote policy continuity, ensuring that new governments sustain policies initiated by their predecessors, since the board would be legally and institutionally entrenched.
Dr. Boakye also urged government to provide incentives and a conducive environment for private actors in the local rice value chain.
However, he stressed that the state must not leave production entirely to private hands.
He proposed that government should secure adequate farmland, mobilise the youth for rice farming, and produce, distribute, and market aromatic rice seeds locally to reduce reliance on imports.
The event was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, advocacy groups, farmer organisations, research institutions, members of the diplomatic corps, and other key stakeholders in the rice sector.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah