The Rice Producers and Processors Association of Ghana (RIPAG) is urging the government to use the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review to introduce stronger interventions to help farmers market their produce, warning that failure to do so could trigger higher food inflation next year.

Spokesperson for the Association, Dr Charles Nyaaba, says while consumers may be benefiting from recent improvements in macroeconomic indicators, farmers remain under severe financial pressure due to rising production costs and weak demand for their produce.

Speaking on Joy FM's Midday News on Wednesday, July 22, ahead of Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson's presentation of the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review on Thursday, Dr Nyaaba, said many maize and rice farmers are still unable to sell produce harvested last year.

"If the necessary attention is not given and many farmers decide not to produce this year, next year we may see food inflation rising again because food prices have largely driven the decline in inflation we are seeing now, yet farmers are the ones bearing the cost of those gains," he warned.

Dr Nyaaba noted that the cost of production continues to rise, with farmers paying more for fertiliser, agrochemicals, mechanisation services, labour and other essential inputs.

He called on the Finance Minister to announce measures to ensure ready markets for locally produced rice and maize.

"We are looking at a situation where the Finance Minister will create an opportunity for farmers to be able to market whatever they have produced," he said.

Dr Nyaaba acknowledged the government's decision to allocate GH¢200 million to purchase rice and maize from local farmers but argued that the intervention has had only a marginal impact.

"Some purchases are being made and contractors have been engaged to buy the commodities, but what they are buying is less than one per cent of what farmers have produced," he explained.

He also blamed the influx of imported rice and maize through Ghana's northern borders for depressing prices and making it difficult for local farmers to compete.

The Finance Minister is expected to present the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review to Parliament on Thursday, outlining the government's fiscal performance and economic policy direction for the remainder of the year.