Less than 3% of farmland devoted to rice production -- IFS

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

61% : Thailand followed a similar path, prioritising rice cultivation within its agricultural strategy and maintaining consistent state support.
56% : As a result, only three percent of rice farmers currently use certified seed, compared to more than 80 percent in Vietnam, where a mix of public and private enterprises ensures quality and availability.
56% : On seed systems, the RDB should collaborate with research institutions to produce, certify, and distribute high-yielding seed varieties, including aromatic rice types comparable to imported brands.
52% : Young people, it argues, should be supported with seed capital, training, and mechanisation services irrespective of political affiliation, enabling them to participate in group-based or cooperative farming ventures.
50% : The two countries, the report noted, achieved this through policy coherence, government coordination, and sustained public investment in inputs, irrigation, and market infrastructure.
49% : Despite repeated government interventions, including the Operation Feed Yourself campaign to the Planting for Food and Jobs initiative and the National Rice Development Strategies (NRDS I and II), the sector continues to underperform, largely due to poor strategy, weak implementation and policy discontinuity.
47% : The dismantling of the Ghana Seed Company left private firms to drive supply, but without state coordination, the sector stagnated.
46% : In contrast, Thailand dedicates between 43.1 and 51.5 percent of its farmland to rice, while Vietnam allocates 58.8 to 92 percent, a commitment that has allowed both nations to attain self-sufficiency and become major exporters.
46% : Dr. Boakye stressed that Ghana's rice sector must move beyond short-term programmes and "political showmanship" to embrace sustained, non-partisan institutional reforms.
43% : Private investment must complement, not replace, government coordination," Dr. Boakye said.
42% : The IFS recommended that the RDB actively engage in local fertiliser production, offering tax incentives and subsidies to private investors.

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