Increase stock of local rice on the market - Emelia Arthur

The Made-in-Ghana Campaign Ambassador, Ms Emelia Arthur, has appealed to rice traders across the country to include at least 10 per cent of local rice in their stock and encourage consumers to patronise it.

According to Ms Arthur, who is also a gospel musician, eating what is produced in the country will help grow the economy in several ways and also reinforce the country’s sense of self-respect and independence.

Speaking to the Daily Graphic after a visit to Wienco Ghana Limited where she interacted with Mr Dominic Duku, Marketing Manager (Commodities), Ms Arthur said the economic benefits of producing and consuming home-grown food were too many to ignore.

Subsequently, Ms Arthur has released a new song titled Nyame Enndi Ye Abro (God has not disappointed us) to help bolster her made-in-Ghana crusade.

She stated that she had made plans with her management to put on a concert to feature artistes who also support the promotion of locally-made items.

Ms Arthur was in January this year officially selected by the Ministry of Trade and Industry as the face of its Made-in-Ghana Campaign which was launched by President John Mahama in November, 2015.

Wienco Ghana Limited produces the Aduanehene and Copa rice brands from its 900,000-acre farm at Sogakope in the South Tongu District.

Mr Duku said the quality of rice from the farm was as good as any of the most patronised imported brands.

“Patronage of the imported rice is usually high during the Christmas festivities but we are trying very hard to make the public understand that there is locally produced rice that meets international standards and is available all-year round,” the Wienco official said.

He commended Ms Arthur for the zeal with which she was executing the Made-in-Ghana campaign and said the company was on the same path to ensure that “we adequately appreciate and consume our own produce.”

In her efforts to help stimulate the patronage and consumption of Ghana-made products, Ms Arthur has been touring churches to speak on the issue. She has also been visiting producers of a variety of items for first-hand information on their products and ways to help spread information about them.