Mr. Alan Kyerematen, Minister of Trade and Industry, said that Ghana spent an estimated GH6.874 billion on rice imports from 2017 to 2020.
He went on to say that over the same time period, the nation imported the following foods:
Fish – GH₵3.993 billion
Chicken (processed) – GH₵1.881 billion
Meat – GH₵487 million
Vegetables – GH₵281million
Poultry – GH₵184 million
The Minister made the revelation when he stood before Parliament to answer a question from Mr Murtala Muhammed Ibrahim, Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale Central, on how much the state spent on rice and other food imports into the nation over the last four years.
In response to another question about whether the government had lifted the ban on small rice importers, Mr Kyeremanten stated that rice was a staple food in Ghana and that it was necessary to maintain a delicate balance between the amount of rice produced locally and what was imported to ensure that there were no serious shortages.
Mr. Kyeremanten emphasized that although the government has not lifted the ban on small rice importers, the Ministry has a management mechanism in place to guarantee that there are no shortages in the system.
He indicated that the Ministry would reconsider its stance on rice imports if the nation had considerable local rice production.
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SOURCE: graphic.com
