Foreign rice still dominating Ghana's market despite producing over 50% – CARP-Ghana

Correspondence from Northern Region

The National Coordinator of the Competitive African Rice Platform-Ghana (CARP-Ghana), Mohammed Habib Abdulai, has expressed concern over the increasing dominance of foreign rice on the Ghanaian market, warning that it poses a serious threat to local rice production and national rice self-sufficiency efforts.

According to Abdulai, although Ghana currently produces over 50 percent of its rice needs, the country still imports nearly half of the rice consumed locally, a situation that continues to undermine local farmers and millers.

“The current state of rice production in Ghana, we are a little above 50% production, so we are just a little above 50% self-sufficient, importing almost 50% of rice into Ghana. We are highly competed by the foreign rice, which is problematic.” Mr Habib told GhanaWeb on the sidelines of CARP-Ghana’s General Assembly held in Tamale on Wednesday.

He explained that the influx of imported rice, often cheaper and more aggressively marketed, discourages investment in domestic rice production and threatens the livelihoods of local farmers who struggle to compete on price and quality perception.

“We are looking into policies that will ensure it facilitates local production of rice, such as policies on trade and market. As far as we are able to ensure that there are tariff barriers put in place to minimize the importation and smuggling of rice into the country and also facilitate the local production of rice and ensuring the market for Ghana rice, it will enhance our self-sufficiency going forward.”

Ghana’s growing preference for imported rice has been fueled by perceptions of better quality and presentation, leaving local producers with limited market access. Analysts say this situation stifles growth in the domestic rice value chain and increases the country’s vulnerability to global price fluctuations.

Abdulai emphasized that to reverse this trend, there is a need for strong government-backed trade and market policies that prioritize local rice and support farmers across the production, processing, and marketing stages.

He added that with the right interventions, Ghana can achieve full rice self-sufficiency while protecting jobs and strengthening food security.

Yaw Adu Poku, Chairman of CARP said Ghana’s rice sector is facing a major crisis as local farmers and millers struggle to sell their produce amid falling prices and stiff competition from imported rice.

He revealed that prices of local rice have dropped by about 50 percent in the market, yet farmers have seen no improvement in their income.

Adu Poku explained that the situation has left both farmers and millers in distress.

“I am a miller and I’m not buying because there is no market for me to sell,” he lamented, noting that despite the ongoing harvest season, demand for Ghana rice remains low.

“Prices have dropped to about 50% in the market but the farmer did not get any windfall from this. So their prices are still what it was in 2024, that means that they are uncompetitive. This is why millers are not buying rice and the farmer is very apprehensive,” he said.

He added that farmers also face immediate threats from birds destroying their crops, with over 500 acres of rice reportedly lost so far.

CARP-Ghana’s General Meeting is part of efforts to shape Ghana’s contribution to a broader West African rice development strategy, aimed at making the region self-sustaining by 2030.