Rice is a staple food in Ghana, with per capita consumption increasing from 20 to 48 kg per year from 2000 to 2024, per data sourced from the Crops Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CRI- CSIR).
Currently, about 1.5 million metric tonnes of rice (milled) are consumed annually, with approximately 50 per cent imported at a cost of around $400 million. This importation could be avoided if investments are made to boost local production.
To achieve rice self-sufficiency, the CRI-CSIR has developed many improved rice varieties. The Rural Development Administration (RDA) of the Republic of Korea, through the Korea Partnership for Innovation of Agriculture, (KOPIA) Ghana Centre, has produced certified seeds of farmer-preferred varieties at the Dawhenya Irrigation Scheme.
The nine varieties are CRI-Agyapa, CRI-Korea Mo, CRI-AgraRice, Legon 1(Ex Baika), CRI-Enapa, CRI-Kang Mo, CRI-Onuapa, CRI-Tuo Mo and CRI-Amankwatia.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of a field day organised for selected farmers and other stakeholders last Tuesday, at the Dawhenya Irrigation Scheme, a Chief Research Scientist at the CRI-CSIR, Dr Maxwell Darko Asante, indicated that the new rice varieties were not only high-yielding, highly aromatic, excellent cooking quality but also mature within a short period.
The field day was to offer farmers and other stakeholders first-hand experience of nine new varieties of rice seeds developed by the CRI- CSIR for adoption by the farmers,
Dr Asante stressed that the new varieties would produce more yield compared to other rice varieties on the market and help mitigate rice importation and help Ghana to attain self-sufficiency in rice production.
“With these new varieties, farmers can have an average yield of six tonnes per hectare compared to an existing yield of 3.2 to 3.5 tonnes per hectare,” he said attributing the low grain yield to a multitude of constraints. Key among them include: poor land and water management, ineffective fertiliser application regimes, post-harvest losses as well as rainfall variability due to climate change.
Dr Asante stressed that by adopting those modern varieties, coupled with good agronomic practices, farmers could double their yields and ultimately help the country to become self-sufficient.
“Ghana imports a lot of rice but the good news is that the country has the capacity to produce all the rice that we need in Ghana. However, one of the bottlenecks facing the industry is the availability of quality seeds and good varieties,” he said.
Feedback
The field day, apart from exposing participants to the nine improved varieties with yields up to eight metric tonnes, also offered farmers, rice millers, seed dealers and Ministry of Food and Agricultural officials the opportunity to sample milled and cooked samples of the varieties that were on display to taste and provide feedback.
Dr Asante said promoting and cultivating improved varieties with consumer-preferred cooking and eating qualities would significantly contribute to Ghana's drive towards rice self-sufficiency, and reiterated calls on the Government and private institutions to increase rice research to increase production to meet domestic needs and reduce the country’s rice import bill.
“What we in research need is consistent support over a period to display what we have for the farmers so that they will work with us to adapt these research findings and technology to enhance food production and make Ghana self-sufficient,” he said.
He explained that the nine varieties consisted of low and upland varieties that facilitated high-yielding returns within a short period, adding that the new varieties were adaptive and could survive the effects of climate change that caused low rice cultivation gains.
Dr Asante commended the Korean Government for sponsoring the release of the varieties through its Rural Development Administration (RDA) and the Korea Partnership for Innovation of Agricultural (KOPIA) Ghana Centre.
Support
The Director of KOPIA Ghana Centre, Dr Kim Choong-Hoe, lauded the collaboration with CSIR-CRI and the farmers stressing that such demonstration would facilitate the adoption of the best variety of seed for rice cultivation to achieve high yields.
“We do not want to produce seeds that are not wanted by the consumers. We have to select the best one for the farmers to produce more rice to reduce import of rice.”
He was optimistic that by the end of the five-year intervention being sponsored by the Korean government to produce quality rice seeds at the Dawhenya Irrigation Scheme, a total of 5,000 tonnes of the best variety of rice seeds would be distributed to farmers across the country to support the country's rice self-sufficiency drive.
The Deputy Director-General (DDG) of the CSIR in charge of Research and Development resource mobilisation, Professor Mrs Marian Dorcas Quain, lauded the partnership with the Korean Government to produce high-yielding climate-smart rice varieties that would increase the production of rice for local consumption and for export.
The Ningo-Prampram District Director of Agriculture, Prince Ofori-Boateng, said the new varieties would help to address limited rice seed varieties in the system and boost the efforts of the Ghanaian farmers to produce more.
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The Project Manager of Aveyime Irrigation Scheme, who is also a farmer, Samuel Debrah, said the future looked bright considering the role of rice as an important staple in Ghana.
He said the on-field
demonstrations have exposed the farmers to effective ways to handle
certified rice seeds to maximise and sustain rice yields.
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