According to the BBC, the said rice which is from Myanmar (also known as Burma) had been rejected by countries including Ghana.
18, 000 tonnes of rice rejected by Ghana destroyed in Ivory Coast
Authorities in Ivory Coast have destroyed about 18,000 tonnes of rice declared unfit for consumption.
“The shipment of rice, from Myanmar (also known as Burma), had been refused entry at several West African ports in recent weeks, including Lome, Conakry, and Accra.”
“The goods were finally unloaded in Abidjan and then tests were done, which showed there was a problem with the rice,” the BBC added.
This is coming at a time when Ghana’s Ministry of Agriculture had earlier said that they are putting measures in place to reduce the importation of rice by at least 50 percent this year.
This is to enhance the growth and consumption of local rice in Ghana.
Currently, Ghana imports 331 million dollars of rice annually. Stakeholders have described this development as worrying.
In an interview with Accra-based Citi FM, a Deputy Minister of Agriculture, George Oduro said measures such as the ‘planting for food and jobs’ as well as the newly introduced Irrigation land facility system should help reduce the importation of rice by half.
“This year alone, our target to stop the importation of rice by 50 percent, maybe we can achieve that or more,” he said.
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