Dr. Bryan Acheampong, the Minister for Food and Agriculture, has announced that the government intends to lift the recently imposed ban on grain exports by November. The decision comes as a significant relief to stakeholders in the agricultural and trade sectors, who have been concerned about the impact of the ban on their operations.
The export ban, implemented last week, was a response to reports of decreased grain yields in northern Ghana, primarily due to an unusual dry spell. The resulting shortfall in production raised concerns about food security and potential inflationary pressures on grain prices.
The government’s primary objective in imposing the ban was to ensure that domestic food needs were met before allowing any grain exports. Dr. Acheampong assured journalists that the government is closely monitoring the situation and expects the challenges to be resolved by November. He expressed optimism that with the northern harvest, southern harvest, and imports all coming in, the situation would stabilize, allowing for the lifting of the export restrictions.
“We will monitor the situation, but we believe that we will come out of this situation by November,” Dr. Acheampong stated. “We should be very clear when the northern harvest comes in, and the southern sector comes in, and then the imports come in. By November, we should be very clear, and we will monitor and apprise the nation.”