Accra, Sept. 7, GNA - The General Secretary of the General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU), Mr Samuel Kangah on Thursday entreated Parliament to legislate the use of locally produced rice in public institutions as a means of keeping farmers in business. He noted that a directive issued by the government to compel public institutions to patronise rice produced in Ghana had been flouted hence the need for a law to make it mandatory.

Mr Kangah, who was speaking at the opening of a two-day workshop in Accra, said the large-scale importation of rice was collapsing the local rice industry and the consequences could be unbearable if urgent steps were not taken to bring the situation under control.

The workshop, organized by the GAWU on the theme; "Citizens' Voice in Trade Policy and Food Security" would seek to address the challenges facing food security and to impress upon policymakers to heed to the call of cutting down the importation of rice. "GAWU is not advocating a total ban on rice importation, but at a minimum, a check where rice imports are adversely affecting our industry and its dependants."

Mr Kangah noted that the Union was worried about trade policies that led to the escalation of import of food items thus destroying the local agriculture industry saying the local rice industry was one of the hardest hit.

He criticized the unbridled trade liberalization and absence of policies to protect the majority of the population that was extremely vulnerable to such policies.

"As a society we have a duty to place certain limitations on our open-door policies."

He observed that agriculture continued to be the single most important sector of the economy accounting for about 40 per cent of GDP and 42 per cent of export earnings and 54 per cent of employment. "The social situation is characterized by growing unemployment and underemployment, growing insecurity of employment with resort to casual, seasonal and contract employment," he said.

Mr Kangah stated that GAWU as a prelude the workshop had undertaken a two-year project to organize and empower rice farmers and agricultural workers in six rice growing districts.

He said the project among other things sought to create well established groups of farmers and agricultural employees capable of engaging with the Government on trade policies affecting food security in Ghana.

It focused on the Afife, Asutuare, Dawhenya, the Golinga, Tema, Ashaiman and Tano irrigation farms.

Mr Kwadwo Affram Asiedu, Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry, Private Sector Development and President's Special Initiatives, said the Government fully recognized the impact of international trade rules on rice production and its importation especially in the context of globalization.

"Agricultural subsidies as well as high tariffs and non-tariff barriers on goods produced in other countries limit the potential for Ghana to produce and trade in products of interest to Ghana." He indicated, however, that Ghanaians had developed sophisticated taste for American and perfumed rice, which had invariably affected the consumption of locally produced rice.

The Deputy Minister urged farmers to increase rice production as the Government on its part would continue to develop and implement consumer awareness programmes to whip up the desire for the consumption of locally produced rice.