Photo by Michael Behrens on Unsplash
The new partnership forms a tripartite cooperation between the Jospong Group and their African Asian Consortium, the Ghana Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) for rice value chain research and development.
Accra, Ghana (23 June 2023) – To take the latest and best rice technologies to Ghana, an agreement was signed between the Jospong Group and their African Asian Consortium, along with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). The aim is to scale the rice industry in Ghana to replace the large and increasing quantities of rice being imported.
“This new connection builds on the recent agreement between Jospong Group and the Ghana Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), forming a tripartite partnership that will ensure Ghana has access to the latest Scientific advancements and innovations,” said Joseph Siaw Agyepong, Executive Chair and Founder of Jospong Group of Companies.
Rice consumption has almost tripled in the last 10 years in Ghana, with individuals now consuming approximately 45 kg of rice each per year. There are excellent opportunities to build new rice-based industries in Ghana. There is an urgent need to locally produce high quality, competitive rice to reverse the financial stress of increasing imports and demand for foreign exchange.
“This new partnership will be very important for ensuring nutritious, high yielding and climate-resilient rice varieties are available in Ghana, like high zinc rice, as well as modern production methods to fully exploit the potential of these new varieties,” highlighted Joanna Kane-Potaka, Deputy Director General for Strategy, Engagement & Impact at IRRI.
The partnership was brokered by the High Commissioner, Her Excellency Florence Akonor, who visited IRRI’s global headquarters requesting technical advice and collaboration with the Ghana Rice Program’s private industry and other key stakeholders, and to ensure better yields and livelihoods for farmers, at the same time ensuring sustainable production using the latest nutritious and healthy rice available.
Scale will be reached through investments by the Jospong Group and supporting smallholder farmers with high quality seeds, modernized production systems and training. “The agreement and the tripartite link is expected to be a model for other countries in Africa to accelerate research and delivery of high-quality rice and develop effective value chains for enhanced national and regional food and nutrition security,” noted Dr Abdelbagi Ismail, IRRI-Africa Director.
For more information, reach out to Sophia Kudjordji at skudjordji@jospongroup.com / +233202010035 or Rue Panela at r.panela@irri.org / +639178118784.