One of these is through the JICA Ghana Rice Production Improvement Project (GRIP), a technical cooperation to increase production in target districts and irrigation schemes, by promoting appropriate rice cultivation technologies.

"Through GRIP, we are supporting the launch and the implementation of National Rice Development Strategy II to increase domestic rice production and ensure a stable supply, addressing urgent challenges in food security and foreign exchange retention for the Ghanaian government," she said.

"The project will also contribute to the "Feed Ghana Programme" to be launched by the current government."

Ms Suzuki said this when she, accompanied by some officials of JICA, visited the Kpong Irrigation Scheme, a project site of the GRIP project in the Eastern Region, to interact with rice seed growers.

The project, running from March 2022 to February 2027, aims to train seed producers, including those in rain-fed areas, to enhance certified seed production and improve its purity through foundation production by irrigation schemes.
It will also provide technical guidance on breeder seed line cultivation at the Crops Research Institute, and train seed producers on eliminating red rice contamination to maintain quality.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, averagely, 45 kilogrammes of rice is consumed per capita annually with a self-sufficiency of 47.5 as of 2023.

To bridge this gap, Ms Suzuki urged policy makers and stakeholders to implement actionable policies to mitigate the huge import and improve domestic production.

Mr Solomon Buenor, the Secretary of Seed Growers Association, said the initiative had helped increase their current rice yields to five tonnes per hectare averagely in a year, six tonnes in the major season and five tonnes in the minor season.

He, however, said they still faced challenges with high labour cost since they did not have adequate machinery and transplanters for planting in the fields.

Mr Buenor said they needed financial support as most financial institutions refuse to grant them loans due to the perishable nature of their produce.