A survey conducted by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at the
Koforidua central market area indicated that out of over 20 rice
sellers interviewed, only one person, by name Fati, popularly known as
“Makola Woman” was selling the locally produced rice.
Among the large number of imported rice stock in her shop, Madam
Fati had less than 25 kilograms of the locally made rice for sale.
She said, “that half sack you see there has been there for
months; people do not buy the local rice. I think authorities do not
advertise our local rice well enough.
“Should they vigorously advertise it as is done to some products
like ‘this way chocolate drink’, local rice will capture prominence in
the market”.
Most of the rice sellers explained that, they were not selling
the local rice because the demand was low and very expensive.
One of the women, who sell her produce in small quantities,
explained that, while a cup of the local rice is sold at 80Gp the same
quantity of imported Pakistani rice goes for 50Gp.
Despite the improvement in the quality of local rice because of
the introduction of modern processing equipments, some of the sellers
still maintained that the quality of the local rice was poor as
compared to the imported ones.
“If they want people to consume the local rice, then they should
improve upon its quality as the foreign ones. We cannot go and buy
rice which changes colour after a few weeks of storage,” one of the
sellers noted.
Some of the sellers, however, expressed their desire to sell the
local rice if they could get some source of supply because their
suppliers, who formerly brought the products to them at their door
steps, had stopped the supply.
“We do not know if the local rice is no longer being produced. We
really need it but we cannot get. Some of us are not strong to travel
far just to buy rice,” Adwoa, a seller, also observed.
When the GNA enquired from Mr Godwin Ocloo, the Eastern Regional
Director of Food and Agriculture, why the local rice was not on the
Koforidua market, he explained that, the sellers were supposed to go
and buy the rice for sale since it was a private activity.
“It seems they do not have interest in it, that is why the
product is scarce on the market,” he said.
In Eastern Region, rice is grown at Akuse in the lower Manya
District, parts of Akuapem North District, East Akim District, Birim
Central District and the Kwaebibirim District.
See the original post:
Local Rice Missing