The Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, has expressed concern over the importation of rice by the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) for distribution to disaster victims.

He argues that the government imports over $2 billion worth of rice annually, while local rice farmers struggle to find a market for their produce.

Speaking on the floor of Parliament, the former Deputy Trade Minister described the situation as unconscionable and called for immediate action to address it.

He emphasised that supporting local rice farmers is crucial for sustaining the economy and reducing the reliance on imported rice.

“I am a farmer. I still have thousands of bags of my rice at the farm in Yagba. I don’t have a market for them. Honourable Akandoh has rice there, no market for them. Honourable Adongo, including clerks of this House, [have rice there] yet the state is spending over $2 billion on the importation of rice and poultry products into this country.

“I have had a discussion with the Minister for Agric for them to buy the rice we have produced, but as we speak, NADMO is buying imported rice for the people of this country and it doesn’t make sense. It simply doesn’t make sense.”