Development and Analysis of the Rice Value Chain for the Hohoe and Jasikan Districts of the Volta Region, Ghana

2017

English

The Programme of Accompanying Research for Agricultural Innovation (PARI) is supported by the German Government through GIZ and implemented in Africa by the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA). The project is aimed at facilitating functionality and efficiency of innovation platforms and innovation research uptake in Ghana and other African countries. This aspect of the project is aimed at improving rice production, processing and marketing in a way that improves the livelihood of the poor. To establish an effective monitoring and evaluation system that would effectively measure progress towards achieving the project objectives and targets, different data collection methods including surveys, focus group discussions and participatory workshops were conducted. Data were collected to have an in-depth understanding of the constraints in the rice value chain and to identify intervention strategies for addressing the constraints through the value chain analysis approach. The study was conducted in the Volta Region because of several factors including promoting pro-poor marketing opportunities for enhancing income, productivity and livelihoods of the resource-poor value chain actors. The objectives of the study were to: a) provide baseline information that would justify the formation of Innovation Platforms (IPs) in the districts, provide the entry point for the IPs and information against which performance of the IPs could be evaluated; b) identify and understand the production and postharvest processes including marketing constraints and hindrances in the rice value chain; c) identify innovation opportunities along the value chain for research and investments to generate socio-economic benefits; d) conduct a value chain analysis to recognise which activities are the most valuable and which ones could be improved to provide competitive advantage; and e) provide a basis for comparison among the different rice-growing areas of Ghana as a means for advising policy makers in the provision of incentives and assistance to the actors in different areas. The rice value chain comprises various actors who perform different functions starting from input supply to rice production, intermediate trading, milling, processing, marketing and distribution, and consumption. The major constraints related to rice production include lack of efficient equipment for land preparation, high cost of land preparation, lack of irrigation facilities, low soil fertility, absence of agro-chemical shops in the communities, difficulty in controlling birds, rodents, and termites, lack of combined harvesters for timely harvesting, and lack of information on consumer preference for various rice varieties. Post-production constraints of the rice value chain include high amounts of broken rice grains due to over-dried paddies occasioned by delayed harvesting; discolouration of rice grains due to excessive rainfall at harvest time; lack of vital components such as destoners by rice millers; lack of graders, cleaners, and important equipment such as sealing/stitching and packaging machines, weighing scales, and hammer mills. Marketing of rice is hampered by the low quality of milled rice, poor labelling and branding. Intervention strategies for enhancing input supply include developing efficient seed multiplication and distribution systems; facilitating linkages among land systems; improving access to tractor services; and integrating ICT into all the strategies.

Ampadu-Ameyaw, R.; Omari, R.; Essegbey, G. O.