The Vice Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Trade, Industry and Tourism, Ato Panford, has urged rice farmers in the Northern Region seeking buyers to contact the Agric Directorate and Department at the various District Assemblies for help.
He says government is liaising with Agric extension officers and the Agric Directorates to implement initiatives such as the Planting for Food and Jobs among others, which captures food crops such as rice.
Speaking on Citi TV’s Point of View, the Shama MP said it was unfortunate some farmers are struggling to get buyers when government is working at addressing the same challenges under the Planting for Food and Jobs programme.
He urged the farmers to contact the local assemblies to provide some assistance since it is the official channel through which government is implementing its agric initiatives.
“One of the key things that the farmers can do is to contact the district assemblies. We have agric directors in all the district assemblies. When you are linked up to the agric department or the district directorate you will have access to equipment and everything,” he stressed.
Mr. Panford stated that it is important for farmers to connect with the right people to get information on time.
“Information is key in this modern age, and as a farmer before you move into even cultivation, there are some basic information that you need to take in respect of where you want to do your business,” he added.
On his part, the Director of Projects at the Ghana Export Promotion Authority, GEPA, Alexander Dadzawa, was hopeful Ghana may become an exporter of rice in the near future with the right investment in their activities.
He said the country must reach a level where it can produce the rice needed for local consumption.
“There are certain crops that we call staple crops. We also call them food sufficiency crops of which we want to first ensure that Ghana is sufficient in production before we talk about export. So for now rice is not too much in the picture when we are talking about immediate export,” he said.
Citibusiness
