Mr Iggy Bassi, Co- founder of GADCO Ghana Limited, producers of copa rice, called on small-holder rice farmers in the country to adopt modern agriculture practices so that their produce could meet international standards.

He said the company would bring into the country its international partners to train small-holder farmers in the Volta Region and provide better seeds and create local and international markets.

Mr Bassi told Ghana News Agency in Accra on Friday that: “small-holder farmers are not poor by choice, they simply lack resources and access to markets - both local and international.”

He called on African Governments to support small-holder farmers with funding.

Mr Bassi said the company, which was co-founded with business partner Mr. Toks Abimbola, was currently operating at Fievie in the Volta Region, and hope to expand its operations to the other parts of the country.

He noted that Ghana imports about 500 million dollars of rice annually and consumers demand high quality rice, and there was the need to incease local production.

Mr Bassi said the company partnering with some private institutions in Brazil to help small-holder rice farmers in Ghana.

He said: “Ghana needs to be a strong producer of quality rice and work hard to create regional export markets – to achieve this it needs key international partners to help build the capacity of Ghanaian farmers.”

GADCO was established four years ago to produce consumer foods in West Africa through innovative community-based partnerships aimed at linking small-holders to markets.