The Ministry of Trade and Industry is likely to place a permanent embargo on the importation of rice through the country’s inland borders.
Government since November 2013 has restricted the importation of rice to the Kotoka Airport and the Tema and Takoradi seaports.
This is despite strong opposition from small-scale importers of rice who are complaining the move has collapsed their businesses.
Speaking to Citi Business News, the Deputy Minister of Trade Murtala Mohammed said the substantive Minister is expected to state government’s final position on the issue next week.
He noted that “the Ministry of Trade put the embargo on the inland importation of rice long before I went to the ministry, and when I went there, we had a lot of petitions from the small rice importers who do the inland importing and the so called big rice importers who imports through the harbours. Their petitions included allegations and counter allegations.”
Murtala Mohammed stated that per the “report that we have I think the decision may be that the embargo should be made permanent.”
He explained that “If we are to go by that report I think we should be even make the embargo permanent….the report is confirming the assertion that people are denying the state the needed resources and bringing in these rice through the inland.”
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By: Godwin Allotey Akweiteh/citifmonline.com/Ghana