Sankofaonline Editorial Desk: September 20 , 2025.
In the quiet fields of Akyem Oda-Nkwanta, a silent emergency is unfolding. Local rice farmers, hardworking stewards of Ghana’s soil, have harvested quality rice in abundance. Yet their barns overflow, not with prosperity, but with unsold grain. At just 1.6 GHC per bag, their rice is affordable, clean, and ready to feed the nation. But buyers are nowhere to be found.
This is not just a rural dilemma. It is a national failure, and a strategic opportunity.
Ghana spends hundreds of millions of dollars annually importing foreign rice, while our own farmers plead for support. Students in public schools and soldiers in uniform eat imported grain, while local rice sits idle in Eastern Region warehouses . This contradiction is unsustainable. It undermines our economy, our dignity, and our food sovereignty.
The farmers’ appeal to President John Dramani Mahama is not a cry for charity. It is a patriotic call for partnership. By directing procurement toward these local producers, the government can achieve three urgent goals:
- Feed our students and military with nutritious, Ghana-grown rice
- Empower rural families to educate their children and escape poverty
- Reduce dependence on foreign imports and strengthen national resilience
This is Sankofa in action: returning to what is ours, reclaiming what sustains us, and moving forward with wisdom. The rice is ready. The price is right. The policy path is clear.
Let us not allow good food to rot while our children go hungry and our farmers despair. Let us build a Ghana that eats what it grows, honors those who feed it, and invests in its own strength.
The time to act is now.
How can one buy some from the farmers. What is the weight per bag. Eg 25 kg , 50kg ect.?