Former Vice President and NPP flag‑bearer Dr Mahamudu Bawumia visited the Asutsuare‑Akuse Irrigation Scheme on Thursday and urged the government to prioritise the purchase and consumption of locally produced rice, while taking steps to reduce rice imports.
During the visit, farmers from the scheme—over 3,500 in number—appealed for intervention after they were left with thousands of tonnes of unsold rice over the past two years due to limited market opportunities.
Bawumia called on the state to increase procurement of local rice for public institutions such as schools and prisons, providing a ready market for the farmers.
"Government needs to buy more rice for our schools, prisons, everywhere. We need to buy more local rice," he said.
He also urged the National Buffer Stock Company to be empowered to purchase larger quantities of locally produced rice, warning that failure to create a reliable market could lead to job losses.
"We need to empower Buffer Stock to buy more local rice. If you do not do that, you will create unemployment… And we have to reduce the import of rice into Ghana," the NPP flag‑bearer stated.
