Accra: Mrs. Emily Boahene, Executive Secretary of the Ghana Grain Council, emphasized the need for targeted government and private sector investments to tackle the country's reliance on rice imports, which currently stands at 60 percent. Speaking at the Ghana Grains Forum in Accra, Boahene highlighted the vulnerability of Ghana to global economic shocks and threats to its food security due to heavy importation. According to Ghana News Agency, the high level of rice importation not only makes Ghana susceptible to international market fluctuations but also undermines local agricultural productivity. The 2024 edition of the Ghana Grains Forum, themed "Climate Change and Sustainable Food Security: Collaborative Responses to Ghana's Grain Crises," brought together industry experts to discuss strategies to strengthen grain self-sufficiency in the context of current climate challenges. The forum underscored the critical situation in northern Ghana, where a prolonged dry spell threatens grain production, pivotal to the nation's food supply. The Executive Secretary advocated for specific policies focusing on the enhancement of irrigation infrastructure, improvement in post-harvest management, and the establishment of better market linkages. She pointed out that such strategic investments have the potential to quadruple Ghana's rice yields from 1.2 to 4.8 metric tonnes annually. Comparatively, neighboring countries like Nigeria and Ivory Coast, despite higher rice consumption rates, have significantly lower rice importation due to robust local production systems. Additionally, Mrs. Boahene noted the economic potential of soybeans, highlighting that Ghana currently earns about $29 million annually from soybean exports. However, she also mentioned that Ghana still falls behind countries like South Africa, Zambia, and Nigeria in soybean production. The forum also featured panel discussions with key industry stakeholders, including business owners and academics, who advocated for a decentralized and multi-sectoral approach to boost grain yields. This approach, they argued, would facilitate local community involvement in grain supply chains, thereby enhancing yields and generating employment opportunities. Keynote speakers, including Mr. Daniel Fahene Acquaye, Founder of Agri-Impact Limited, and Dr. Abu Sakara Forster, an agriculturalist, called for innovative solutions and targeted interventions in finance, technology, and marketing to revitalize the grain sector. They emphasized the importance of integrating academic research on new seedlings into practical agricultural applications.