Rice importers would be ordered to cease their trade in three years if everything goes as planned, the Agric Minister has said.

The same applies to persons who import poultry products.

Dr. Owusu Afriyie-Akoto says the government is working fervently to “establish the local capacity” to meet demand.

Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express programme on Wednesday, he said this should be completed in the next three years. After that, merchants would be expected to trade with local farmers.

Dr. Afriyie-Akoto says the law gives him the power to approve food imports 

Currently, most of the rice consumed locally comes from overseas.

Deputy Trades Minister, Robert Ahomka Lindsay had previously said rice importation alone takes 82 per cent of all imports into the country.

This cost more than $1billion, almost two per cent of the country’s GDP in 2018.

This must stop, the Agric Minister says.

The government intends, with the help of its flagship planting for food and jobs programme, to increase the yield of farmers.

This, Dr. Afriyie-Akoto said should be achieved in three years, paving way for the order to stop imports.

He said this is not over-ambition, neither does it violate WTO protocol.

Planting for Food and Jobs 

The government has been selling fertilisers to farmers at subsidised rates as part of the planting for food and jobs programme.

The Minister says with 50 per cent government subsidy on fertilisers for smallholder farmers, a farmer who was previously producing three bags of rice per acre was now producing 10 bags.

This has massively increased jobs since more hands are needed to harvest the produce and process same for the market.

The Minister puts the figure of jobs created at 745,000 in 2017 but that number has gone up to 900,000; he says. 

Meanwhile, the government has introduced a spinoff of the programme, rearing for food and jobs, as a result of the success chalked from the original policy.