Make local rice more affordable to Ghanaians – Dumelo urges local farmers

According to him, the consumption of local rice can only be increased if it is made affordable to citizens.

In a Facebook post, Dumelo said it is interesting that despite the shipping and duty costs that foreign rice dealers endure, imported rice is still cheaper than local rice.

“It will Interest you to know that imported rice (after paying all the shipping and duties at the port) is still cheaper than our local rice,” he wrote.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m a farmer and a huge advocate for consumption of made in Ghana products but the patriotic patience of Ghanaians will quickly run out if our local rice farmers don’t do anything about their pricing.”

Advocacy for the consumption of local rice has been high in recent weeks, with Accra-based Citi FM leading the charge.

A campaign has been launched to get Ghanaians to patronise local rice as against the ones imported from other countries.

Dumelo said, although he does not fault local farmers for their high pricing, he is concerned that Ghanaians could soon turn away from patronising local rice if the cost is not reduced.

Read his full post below:

It will Interest you to know that imported rice (after paying all the shipping and duties at the port) is still cheaper than our local rice. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a farmer and a huge advocate for consumption of made in Ghana products but the patriotic patience of Ghanaians will quickly run out if our local rice farmers don’t do anything about their pricing. Same as our local chicken and the imported one. Once it’s cheap, it’s the best. It might not be the fault of the farmers when pricing. The unit cost of producing a bag of rice depends on external factors (high interest rates, taxes, fuel costs etc) which is beyond their control. We must do more to support farmers across the country. Competitive pricing and branding are sine qua non to Ghanaians being patriotic but all hope is not lost. Ghana shall prosper.