The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) is urging the government to establish a Rice Development Board (RDB) to coordinate and drive strategic reforms aimed at revitalizing Ghana’s rice industry and cutting down the country’s heavy dependence on rice imports.
Presenting findings from its latest report, “Increasing Importation of Rice in Ghana: Can the Country Transform Its Fortunes in the Rice Sector?”, Dr. Said Boakye, Senior Research Fellow at IFS, said Ghana’s overreliance on the private sector has led to repeated market failures and stagnation in domestic rice production.
“Unlike countries such as Vietnam and Thailand, where governments play central roles in managing and supporting the rice value chain, Ghana has taken a hands-off approach. That model has not worked,” Dr. Boakye asserted.
According to the IFS, the proposed Rice Development Board would serve as the central coordinating body for all government activities in the rice value chain, from seed production and fertilizer supply to mechanization, processing, and marketing.
Dr. Boakye emphasized that the Board must be legally established and adequately funded to ensure continuity beyond political transitions. It would also spearhead the promotion of local fertilizer production, certified high-yield rice seeds, and the expansion of irrigation infrastructure across Ghana’s 1.9 million hectares of arable land suitable for rice cultivation.
He added that the Board could facilitate youth participation in rice farming through credit-based support schemes and help mobilize private sector investment for export-oriented rice marketing.
The IFS also called for reforms in land acquisition and redistribution to address challenges posed by Ghana’s traditional land tenure system, a key barrier to large-scale rice farming.
Dr. Boakye noted that with strong institutional support and sustained investment, Ghana has the potential to become a net exporter of rice, benefiting from a global rice market projected to grow from US$387.8 billion in 2025 to US$449.6 billion by 2030.
“If Ghana had produced just 7.4 million metric tons of rice in 2022, it could have exported six million tons, equivalent to Vietnam’s US$3.2 billion earnings that year,” he revealed.
The IFS concluded that establishing the Rice Development Board would not only reduce the country’s import bill but also create jobs, boost food security, and strengthen the cedi by minimizing foreign exchange outflows.
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