Ghana bans rice, corn exports to stave off food shortage

Ghana is banning the export of some grains including rice, corn and soy to avert a drought-induced food shortage in the West African nation.

Drought and near-drought conditions over the past two months have increased the risk of crop failure in a part of the country responsible for about 62% of Ghana’s grain production, Agriculture Minister Bryan Acheampong told reporters Monday in the capital, Accra. The six affected regions are mostly in the north. 

As much as 1.8 million hectares of land are at risk and farmers growing food on roughly half that area have already been impacted, he said.

“We are forecasting a significant shortfall in grain availability,” said Acheampong. “Without any interventions, this could lead to a nationwide food shortage.”

Ghana is following countries such as Nigeria and Ivory Coast to restrict grain exports this year to improve food security. This comes after a swathe of southern Africa - including Zambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe - suffered the driest February in at least four decades, wiping out crops. That particular drought was blamed on the El Niño weather phenomenon.

Ghana plans to raise $500 million to mitigate the impact of the grain shortage, including about $155 million from the World Bank and other development partners, Finance Minister Mohammed Amin Adam said Monday. 

Authorities will tap the funding to offer some compensation to affected farmers, with payments of 1,000 cedis ($64) per hectare. The country also intends to import grain to make up for the shortage, he said.

These imports will likely weaken the currency and raise the risk of food inflation, Amin Adam said. Ghana’s annual inflation rate is already hovering above 20%.