Increased rice production due to Planting for Food & Jobs – NAFCO boss

The Chief Executive Officer of the National Food Buffer Stock Company, Alhaji Hanan Abdul-Wahab, says the hike in rice production is as a result of the success of government’s Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) programme.

He said with the introduction of the flagship programme in the agriculture sector in 2017, government expected yields to increase across board.

Squarely, he says, government has put in place measures to find market and use for the increased yields.

The NAFCO CEO was speaking on TV3’s Hot Issues in the wake of complaints by some rice farmers in Fumbisi in the Upper East Region that their produce have been left to rot.

Ahaji Abdul-Wahab had hinted over the week on 3FM that the cries by the farmers had been a blessing in disguise as more buyers have visited the area to purchase the commodity.

He was, however, critical of the media reports, saying they were exaggerated.

Speaking to Stephen Anti on Hot Issues, Alhaji Abdul-Wahab said government is planning a state-of-the-art mill near Fumbisi to not only purchase rice directly from farmers but also process them for export.

He said Ghana exports major cash crops to some countries within the West Africa sub-region after winning a bid for storage in 2017.

“We have Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali and other countries,” he listed, adding that “it is not just rice [but] maize, soya bean and others”.

He said government’s vision to store major crops for the consumption of the West African sub-region will see the commissioning of about 40 warehouses at the end of 2019.

He said in all 80 warehouses have been projected to be built.

He added that government wants to win another bid to have the power to purchase as well.