Rice farmers in Gbdembilisi, in the Builsa South District of the Upper East Region, have worried over the lack of patronage for their harvested products.

The rice farmers believe that the very worrying shortage of buyers for their abundant rice harvest is a result of the influx and the uncontrolled importation of rice into the country.

“This year, a lot of our buyers and companies are complaining that the government has imported a lot of rice into the country, and because of that, we are not getting buyers. The government is also importing foreign rice, and all the buyers are complaining that when they buy our rice and mill, they don’t get buyers,” John Amobil, a rice farmer, lamented to Citi News.

The farmers also accused the government of preventing foreign nationals from neighbouring countries from coming to Ghana to buy rice.

John Amobil added, “Last year, for instance, Nigerians and other countries were in to buy our rice, but the government has stopped them from entering the country to buy rice.”

Cezar Akinkang, the Chairman of the Builsa South Rice Farmers Association acknowledged that the cheaper cost of foreign rice also makes it difficult for local rice to compete on the market.

Akinkang called on the government to subsidized the production cost of rice cultivation in the country so that local farmers can reduce the cost of local rice.

“What we heard is that the buyers are complaining that our rice is more expensive than the foreign rice, and the reason why our rice is more expensive than the foreign rice is that the inputs are costly. So, we are appealing to the government should reduce the prices of inputs, and if there is a subsidy, it will help us farmers. So that our price too will come down to meet the needs of buyers and consumers,” Mr. Akinkang explained to Citi News.

The community’s rich cultural history ties deeply to rice cultivation, a tradition passed down through generations during every rainy season.

EAN/OGB

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