Charles Nyaaba, former director of the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, has alleged that contractors engaged by the government to procure locally produced rice for the Ghana School Feeding Programme have instead opted to import foreign rice.

He made the claims during an appearance on JoyNews on Monday, March 9, where he discussed the state of Ghana’s food security 69 years after independence.

Dr Nyaaba expressed concern that, despite the government’s earlier assurances, locally grown rice continues to be sidelined.

“We were very excited when we got the directive from the president that the school feeding programme is going to buy rice and maize from the local farmers. We were all prepared, waiting for them to arrive. The contractors they engaged to purchase produce from farmers decided to import it,” he claimed.

“They gave a contract to people; instead of buying from the farmers, they imported the rice, leaving the farmers,” he alleged.

He noted that despite repeated requests for the government to release the names of the contractors, no action has been taken.

“We keep engaging the National Food Buffer Stock Company to publish the lists of the people they engaged to mobilise this produce, and they are failing to do that. And there is no evidence from any farmer that the National Food Buffer Stock came to buy from them,” he said.

In November 2025, the Minister for Finance, Cassiel Ato Forson, announced that John Dramani Mahama had directed all public schools, from basic to tertiary levels, to exclusively purchase staple food items, including rice, produced within Ghana.

Read also: Mahama directs all schools to exclusively purchase local rice, maize, chicken, and eggs

The initiative, described as a “Buy Ghana, Eat Ghana” measure, is intended to create a reliable market for local producers, guaranteeing their income and encouraging increased domestic food production.

Speaking on the programme, Dr Nyaaba—who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Akuafo Nketewa—questioned the effectiveness of policies aimed at strengthening local agriculture and urged authorities to ensure that government initiatives genuinely benefit Ghanaian farmers.