Ghana’s reliance on foreign food imports could worsen as the local maize and rice industry battles a crisis of unsold stock, weak prices, and collapsing processing plants, the Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana (CAG) has warned.
Over 100,000 metric tonnes of maize and rice from the 2024 harvest remain unsold, leaving warehouses full just months before the new harvest season. The Chamber says the glut—driven by a surge in cheap imports and illegal grain smuggling—is not only crippling farmers but also undermining Ghana’s food sovereignty.
“This is not merely about farmer incomes; it is about Ghana’s ability to feed itself. If the maize and rice value chains collapse, we risk deeper dependence on imports, higher food inflation, and loss of critical jobs in rural communities,” the Chamber cautioned in a statement.
CAG has flagged alleged collusion between smuggling networks and corrupt border officials as a key driver of the problem, stressing that the tax revenue lost from illicit imports is draining state coffers. Meanwhile, some mills and maize processors have shut down, unable to compete with low-priced, often substandard imports.
To avert a food crisis, the Chamber is urging urgent government intervention: tighter border enforcement, guaranteed minimum prices for farmers, and a mandate for state-run institutions such as the School Feeding Programme, Armed Forces, and Prisons Service to purchase only Ghana-grown grains. It also called for financial packages for millers and investment in infrastructure like storage facilities and irrigation to stabilise the sector.
“The upcoming harvest season will test Ghana’s food resilience. Without decisive action, the nation’s grain subsector risks collapse, with ripple effects across the economy,” CAG said, calling for an immediate high-level dialogue between government, farmers, and private players.
