The government has directed that all rice supplied to schools under the national feeding programme be procured centrally through the Ghana Buffer Stock Company Limited as part of efforts to promote the consumption of locally produced rice.
The directive, issued by the Presidency, follows concerns that some schools continue to purchase imported rice despite an existing government policy encouraging the use of local produce.
According to the order from John Dramani Mahama, the continued purchase of imported rice undermines national efforts to support Ghanaian farmers and retain economic value within the country.
Under the new measure, the Ministry of Education, working with the Ghana Education Service and the Ghana Buffer Stock Company Limited, will oversee the centralised procurement and distribution of rice to schools.
The directive also calls for effective coordination to ensure a reliable supply chain that will enable schools to receive local rice on time for feeding programmes.
Last year, the government introduced a decentralised procurement policy that allowed school authorities to purchase food items from their local communities. The initiative was designed to expand market opportunities for Ghanaian rice farmers and reduce dependence on imports.
However, reports submitted to the Presidency indicated that the policy had not been consistently implemented across schools, prompting the latest directive to centralise rice procurement.
Officials say the new arrangement is intended to ensure full compliance with government policy, strengthen domestic rice production, and guarantee a stable and transparent system for supplying rice to schools under the feeding programme.
