“We will reclaim all galamsey pits to grow more rice

The Western Regional Minister Dr. Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah has revealed the Western Regional Coordinating Council (WRCC) will start reclaiming all abandoned galamsey pits in the region to grow rice.

This he said forms part of WRCC’s programme to support the president’s vision to boost local production of rice and stop its importation into the country.

Addressing a gathering at the 38 Farmer’s Day Celebration at Samaho in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality of the Western Region, Dr. Okyere Darko-Mensah indicated that talks with Ghana’s Former Deputy Minister for Health and DCE for Twifo Atti Morkwaa, Hon. Dwuma Odum are far advanced and have been assigned to the Western Region “to help us realize this vision for the country”, he stressed.

It’s on record that Hon. Abraham Dwuma Odoom in his wisdom assisted the Nigerians to grow more rice locally to facilitate the ban on the importation of rice into Nigeria. He was also a Lead Consultant between,2016 and 2018 at the Ministry of Agric and Natural Resources in Akwa Ibom State – Nigeria, and a Policy Advisor between, 2014 and 2016 at the Bill/Melinda Gates /J.A. Kufuor Foundation Competitive African Rights Initiative Project – Nigeria.

According to the Minister, “we have a very big opportunity to grow rice, because currently the western region grows about two thousand six hundred and thirty-nine (2639) acres of rice but because our President has indicated that he will ban the importation of rice into Ghana that is why we are positioning ourselves as a region to take the lead in this venture.”

“It’s not only the inland valleys that stand to benefit from this laudable initiative so we are not going to sit unconcerned to watch our land being devastated by illegal miners that is why as part of our programme we are going to reclaim all these ‘galamsey’ sites including sites where they have already mined clay to grow more rice”, he stressed.

In 2020, rice, paddy production for Ghana was 973,000 tonnes. Rice, paddy production of Ghana increased from 54,900 tonnes in 1971 to 973,000 tonnes in 2020 growing at an average annual rate of 8.88%.

Although rice is the second most important staple food after maize, only one third of rice consumed is produced locally. Large volumes are imported each year, worth between USD $300 million and USD $500 million. While Ghanaian production increased by 12 % between 2010 and 2015, consumption increased by 25 % in the same period, leading to continued dependency on imported rice. Due to population growth and shifting consumption patterns following urbanisation, per capita consumption of rice is growing steadily; from 35 kg in 2016 to an expected amount of 40 kg in 2018.

As local rice production and processing has not increased sufficiently despite heavy public investment and engagement of international programmes over decades, root causes need to be analysed again and concepts rethought.