The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) has expressed deep concern about an alarming crisis in the maize and rice sector and is calling for the government's urgent action and intervention.
It is a body formed by leaders in the grain business and our mandate and activities represent the interests of members to intervene in the grains value chain to improve productivity, quality, and greater commercialization of the industry.
The core mandate is to develop advocacy capacity, specifically lobby for favorable government policies towards the grain industry.
According to AGI, the country's maize and rice subsector is facing an impending crisis due to delayed payments to food suppliers, particularly women in Badu, Tain district in Bono Region, and rampant smuggling of substandard grains.
Alhaji Iddrisu Zakari, Head of Post-Harvest Unit of AGI and Public Relations Officer for Food Suppliers Association in the Middle Belt of Ghana, stated that farmers are being forced to sell below production cost due to delayed payments by the government.
In an exclusive interview with Apiah-Kubi on Fabea FM, Zakari emphasized that food suppliers are struggling due to delayed payments, which could further exacerbate the situation.
"Some Ghanaian farmers are being pushed out of business by unfair competition, triggered by smuggled maize and rice that evade duties and quality checks, flooding our markets at artificially low prices," Zakari said.
"If the government does not intervene swiftly, we risk collapsing the entire subsector," he added.
The AGI has outlined several major concerns, including the undercutting of local produce and the impact on food sovereignty.
To address the crisis, the AGI recommends that the government tighten border controls, sanction complicit officials, and mandate local sourcing quotas for state institutions such as the School Feeding Programme, the Armed Forces and the Prisons Service. It further recommends introducing minimum price guarantees, providing support for millers to absorb local grains at harvest, and investing in rural infrastructure, storage, and marketing for Ghanaian rice and maize.
"The government needs to introduce minimum price guarantees and provide support to absorb local grains at harvest and invest in rural infrastructure, storage, and marketing for Ghanaian maize and rice and expand irrigation facilities and strengthen farmer cooperatives to boost productivity and competitiveness," Alhaji Zakari stressed.
"We are pleading with the government to make at least some payments to the suppliers, because it's almost a year of no payment," Alhaji Zakari bemoaned.
Alhaji Zakari concluded that the time to act is now, emphasizing the need for urgent high-level dialogue between the government, private sector stakeholders, and farmer associations to address the industry's challenges and promote Ghana's economic independence, jobs, and food sovereignty.
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