Love Affair With Rice Importation vs Smuggling Continues

More heat has been poured on dispute on whether the reduction in rice imports through the ports is due to increased local rice production or to  .

The latest significant development came from interviews done by Paul Adom Otchere on his programme Good Evening Ghana on Metro TV. Apparently seeking to clarify the apparent confusion, the TV presenter confronted the Chief Technical Advisor to Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Samuel Dapaah with Food and Beverages Association of Ghana (FABAG)’s allegations that the reduction in the imports at the ports was due to smuggling.

Dr. Dapaah rejected FABAG’s claims and affirmed that local rice farmers were producing enough rice because tariffs on rice imports had been increased and that smuggling of rice at our borders did not have any adverse effect on the economy. Dr. Dapaah cited the earlier rebuttal of FABAG’s argument to support his case.

However, faced with Anas Amereyaw Anas, the reporter who had exposed the modus operandi of the rice smugglers at Ghana’s western borders and the extent of smuggling, Dr. Dapaah modified his stance and said smuggling was a “menace” that must be fought by all means.

No doubt, that was a moment of a classic current affairs interview. Paul Adom Otchere deserves commendation for seeking to throw light on an important issue which risks joining the many unanswered questions posed by the Ghanaian media. However, it is not good news for the development of the Ghanaian media when those who broke the story, give up so easily.

The actual situation is still unclear, though. Dr. Samuel Dapaah, on the Good Evening Ghana programme, provided statistics which showed that from in 1999 to 2009, rice production in Ghana increased from 181,000 metric tonnes to 235,000 metric tonnes, and that his ministry was expecting “more than 30%” increment in local rice production this year.”

This, of course, is good news, although from other sources, we know that rice imports by traders at Elubo is thriving, except for what the traders describe as harassment by a certain Task Force. Indeed, the Elubo traders even advised FABAG about how they could go about their business. That would seem to contradict Dr. Dapaah’s and Customs’ assertion that patronage of imported rice had gone down because local production is doing so well.

As I have noted earlier, it is possible that all these contending voices have some basis for their claims; the trouble is that modern governance should not be based on guesswork. There is the need to establish the reasons for the changing trends in rice importation and possibly consumption. This is necessary for knowing whether policies put in place are working or not and the possible consequences of whatever development is taking place but so far, both the media and the government appear to have come short of doing this.

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