According to him, the government can only create awareness but is not responsible for the marketing and promotion of local rice brands.
He said processing companies must intensify the campaign to make Ghanaians know the various local rice brands.
READ ALSO: Gov’t to ban poultry, rice imports within next 3 years – Agric Minister
“If you don’t give details then it means you are not helping the consumer. So the consumer goes to the market, he is faced with what he can see around,” Mr. Osei Nyarko told Accra-based Starr FM.
“The marketing and the promotion aspect of Ghana rice is not the responsibility of the government to go and start running radio or TV adverts promoting this kind of rice for the producers. It is their own responsibility. Government can only come in and create awareness.”
Advocacy for the consumption of local rice has been high in recent weeks, with Accra-based Citi FM leading the charge.
A campaign has been launched to get Ghanaians to patronise local rice as against the ones imported from other countries.
The Deputy Agric Minister also revealed that rice is the highest commodity on Ghana’s import bill.
He said $1.35 billion out the about $2.2 billion Ghana spends on food import goes into rice.
Mr. Osei Nyarko added that government will continue to create the enabling environment in order to get more people to go into rice production.