Ghana’s ambition to achieve self-sufficiency in rice production is facing a major setback as the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) struggles to secure adequate funding to purchase surplus rice from local farmers.
Large volumes of paddy rice remain unsold in major producing areas, leaving farmers distressed and raising concerns about post-harvest losses and declining motivation to continue production.
The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) has warned that the situation, if not addressed urgently, could reverse years of progress in boosting local rice output and reducing import dependence.
Acting Executive Director of PFAG, Bismark Nortey, disclosed that NAFCO has received less than 10 percent of the funds it requested to buy paddy rice from farmers this season. “There are still rice farmers struggling to find buyers because NAFCO doesn’t have the financial capacity to absorb all the rice in the system,” he said.
He cautioned that the ongoing glut could drive many farmers out of rice cultivation, undermining food security and the government’s “Eat Ghana, Grow Ghana” campaign. “If this situation continues, many farmers will stop producing rice because they know their investments could go to waste,” Mr. Nortey warned.
The Association is therefore calling on the government to immediately release additional funds to NAFCO to enable the purchase and storage of excess rice. It argues that without timely intervention, both rural incomes and national food reserves could be at risk.
Stakeholders say the crisis highlights a broader need to strengthen agricultural financing mechanisms and ensure sustainable market access for local producers if Ghana is to meet its long-term goal of rice self-sufficiency.
