Ghanaian Farmers Boycott 2025 Farmers' Day Celebrations Amid Worsening Food Crisis

A deep sense of frustration has taken hold among Ghana's rice, maize, and soya producers as the country's food production sector continues to deteriorate. Despite repeated government assurances, including promises to buy every grain of rice and maize through the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), farmers remain unpaid, unable to sell their harvests due to cheap, expired, and smuggled imported rice flooding the markets. As a result, leading agricultural stakeholders have resolved to boycott the 2025 Farmers' Day celebrations at various levels, demanding urgent policy changes to address the crisis.

Key Takeaways:

• The Committee for the Promotion of Local Rice and Other Commodities has announced a boycott of the 2025 Farmers' Day celebrations, citing the worsening crisis in Ghana's food production sector.
• The group, comprising rice producers, millers, maize farmers, mechanization service providers, input dealers, apex farmer associations, and agribusiness stakeholders, is demanding suspension of all foreign rice imports for six months and tightening of border controls.
• As of last week, over 200,000 metric tons of paddy rice from the 2024 season remain unsold in warehouses across three regions.
• Ghana's harvest for 2025 is projected to reach 1.5 million metric tons, an increase from 1.3 million in 2024, with significant volumes already harvested across different regions.
• Farmers are demanding a medium- to long-term importation strategy based on national production capacity, allowing only limited imports to cover shortfalls, and gradually phasing out imports altogether.
• The government should mandate all public institutions to procure exclusively Ghana rice and maize from local farmers and millers.
• The Ministry of Finance should release substantial funding for NAFCO to purchase surplus maize and rice and reduce the glut.

Statistics:

• Up to 200,000 metric tons of paddy rice from the 2024 season remain unsold in warehouses across the Upper East, Northern, and North East regions.
• Ghana's harvest for 2025 is projected to reach 1.5 million metric tons.
• The following volumes have been harvested: 300,000 Metric Tonnes in Upper East, 400,000 Metric Tonnes in North East, 300,000 Metric Tonnes in Northern, 50,000 Metric Tonnes in Savannah, 20,000 Metric Tonnes in Upper West, and 100,000 Metric Tonnes in Volta.
• Over 1.3 million metric tons of rice were harvested in 2024.

Sources:

• Ghana News Agency, 31 October 2025
• Committee for the Promotion of Local Rice and Other Commodities statement, 31 October 2025
• National Rice Development data, 2025