The quality of rice produced and processed in Ghana needs improvement to win consumers’ trust to choose domestic rice over imported alternatives, the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku has said.
Speaking at a media briefing on an $18.8 million Regional Resilient Rice Value Chains Development Project in West Africa (REWARD), being financed by the African Development Bank as a grant, Opoku said improving rice quality and educating consumers about the economic benefits of buying locally produced goods were essential to changing consumer preferences and strengthening the domestic rice industry.
The Minister was talking about efforts to increase patronage of locally produced rice. He acknowledged that many Ghanaians continued to prefer imported rice but expressed confidence that this could change if local producers addressed quality concerns.
“The first thing we are going to do is to work on the quality of rice that is produced and the quality of rice that is processed and made available to the Ghanaian market,” he said.
“If we are able to do that, certainly Ghanaians will prefer going for the Ghanaian one,” he added.
Local Rice Consumption For Jobs
Beyond improving quality, the Agric Minister called for sustained public education on the economic consequences of consumer spending on imported goods.
Currently, Ghana’s import bill for rice mostly from Vietnam, Thailand and China stands at $500 million.
Eric Opoku argued that purchasing locally produced rice would help create jobs in Ghana and generate wider economic benefits by supporting domestic farmers, processors and other businesses along the rice value chain.
“Every expenditure incurred on imported commodities will go to create jobs in those countries at the peril of the youth of our country,” he stressed.
He urged consumers to consider the broader economic implications of their purchasing decisions when choosing between locally produced and imported goods.
“And so if you go to the market and you are given the opportunity to choose between what is produced in Ghana and what is produced from outside, for purposes of job creation and the multiplying effect that it will have on the Ghanaian economy, we are advising Ghanaians to patronize made in Ghana goods.”
Rice farmers and millers across the country have been experiencing glut since the 2025 farming season with unsold stocks. The situation is largely blamed on high importation of cheap foreign rice leaving stakeholders in the local value chain in distress.
Poultry Industry Offers A Model
Meanwhile, the Agric Minister cited growth in Ghana’s poultry industry as evidence that consumer preferences could shift towards locally produced goods when quality improves.
According to him, increased patronage of domestically produced poultry and eggs demonstrates the potential for Ghanaian rice producers to win over consumers by delivering products that meet market expectations.
“We have done it and we are almost successful. We started with the poultry industry,” Opoku said.
He added that consumer perceptions of locally produced poultry had improved, with some consumers now expressing a preference for domestic products over imported alternatives.
“When we started producing the best, we saw a lot of our people shifting to domestically produced poultry. Now when you go to the streets, and you listen to the youth, what they say is that our poultry is far, far better than the imported one,” he emphasised.
The Agric Minister further claimed that the growing preference for locally produced poultry was affecting businesses involved in imported frozen poultry.
“And we have friends in the cold storage business. They complain that their businesses are coming down because people are now patronising what is produced locally here in Ghana.”
He maintained that similar efforts could help increase demand for Ghanaian rice, provided producers consistently deliver quality products and consumers understand the benefits of supporting local businesses.
“And so we all have a responsibility to get our populace educated on the reasons why they should patronise what is produced here in Ghana.”
