Kennedy John Gozey Urges Corporate Ghana to Fill Christmas Hampers with Local Rice as Unsold Stocks Pile Up

Kennedy John Gozey Urges Corporate Ghana to Fill Christmas Hampers with Local Rice as Unsold Stocks Pile Up

A youth leader and businessman, Kennedy John Gozey, is asking Ghanaian companies to use locally grown rice in their staff Christmas hampers this year. He describes the move as a way to rescue farmers sitting on warehouses of unsold produce.

In an opinion piece titled “This Christmas, Let Corporate Ghana Feed Ghana,” Mr. Gozey says corporate Christmas packages are usually made up of imported rice, oil and biscuits. Meanwhile, rice farmers in Fumbisi, Dawhenya, Akuse, Asutsuare and Aveyime-Battor struggle to find buyers for rice that has passed quality checks.

He says Ghana spends more than $400 million a year importing rice even though the country produces quality aromatic varieties. He names brands including Evivi Rice, Duq Ghana and Champion Rice.

The scale of the glut

His appeal comes amid a deepening crisis in the sector. The B&FT reports that late 2025 and early 2026 saw over 1.3 million metric tonnes of paddy rice stuck in warehouses in the northern regions, largely because the local market lacks the processing, storage and purchasing capacity to absorb the volume produced. Farmers have valued more than 1 million metric tons of unsold paddy at about GH₵5 billion (US$330 million).

Industry estimates put Ghana’s rice imports at about 60 percent of consumption, at a cost of more than US$500 million a year, which is higher than the figure Mr. Gozey cites.

The government had directed the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) to buy local rice for the Free SHS programme, but NAFCO says the GH¢100 million released for the purpose is not enough to absorb the surplus. The Association of Ghana Rice Producers and Processors accuses NAFCO of defying the President’s directive, and some major millers have suspended operations as cheap, smuggled rice floods the market.

“Production without patronage is punishment”

Mr. Gozey argues that blaming government alone is not enough, and that companies should use their purchasing power to support local producers. He frames this as a stronger form of corporate social responsibility than donating boreholes or school blocks.

He estimates that if 500 institutions, including banks, telecom companies, mining firms, breweries and insurers, each bought 1,000 bags of Ghana rice, about 500,000 bags (roughly 25,000 metric tonnes) would be cleared from farmers’ stocks. That would give farmers capital to plant again in January.

He lists five benefits of the shift:

• Protecting the cedi by keeping foreign exchange at home.
• Sustaining jobs along the value chain, from tractor operators and millers to parboilers, transporters and traders.
• Restoring dignity to farmers by giving them a market.
• Building brand loyalty, since staff and customers notice a company’s commitment to local produce.
• Creating future business partners as supported farmers grow and use banking, insurance and other corporate services.

He warns that farmers who cannot sell their harvest will cut production or leave farming for the cities, which worsens youth unemployment and food inflation.

Call to action

The writer urges CEOs, managing directors and HR directors to place orders with the Ghana Rice Farmers Association and regional aggregators in November, so there is time to mill, bag and brand the rice. He suggests companies add a card telling staff which farming community grew their rice.

Similar appeals have come from other groups. Partners of the Eat Ghana Rice Campaign, including the Ghana Rice Interprofessional Body and the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, have urged Ghanaians, institutions and corporate bodies to prioritise locally produced rice to clear the surplus and protect farmers’ livelihoods.

Farmers’ groups are also pressing government for a six-month moratorium on rice and maize imports, a transparent import quota system and a crackdown on smuggling. Under the Feed Ghana Programme, the government aims to make the country self-sufficient in rice by 2028, after which a ban could be considered.

“The farmer is waiting. The warehouse is full. The choice is ours,” Mr. Gozey writes.

SOURCE: Coverghana.com.gh