1. QUALITY IMPROVEMENT OF DOMESTIC RICE - SUPPORT FOR VALUE CHAIN ACTORS
Introduction
Agriculture -mainstay of the Ghanaian Economy
Contributes to about 39% of GDP
Employs about 51% (4.2 million)
of the working population

2. The National Food and Agriculture Sector Policy (FASDEP II) has vision of-
Modernized agriculture,
Culminating in structurally transformed economy,
Evident in food security,
Employment opportunities,
And reduced poverty

3. The vision is linked to Global, Regional, Sub-regional and National Development programmes such as
MDG Goals, GPRS II and CAADP of NEPAD
The common goal is food security, employment creation, income generation and poverty reduction

4. The crop sub-sector in particular quality and competitive rice production
provides a major option to exploit towards achieving these goals
This is because the rice crop has contributed to the Green Revolution in South-East Asia and other parts of the Sub-Saharan African continent

5. Rice production in Ghana is however lacking behind levels of consumption
Ghana produces only 30% of its rice requirements
Imports 70%
Amounting to about 500, 000 tons/year
Costing about $218m

6. CHALLENGES TO INCREASED LOCAL RICE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
The poor quality of paddy produced
Inadequate and inefficient processing and milling equipment resulting in poor quality milled rice
Inadequate and poor post harvest infrastructure
High cost of inputs
Inadequate funding
Others

7. This project proposal under the NRDS seeks
to provide guidelines that will give support to post harvest handling of rice in relation to
processing, storage, distribution and marketing of paddy
to enhance quality of milled rice, competitiveness, marketing and consumption

8. JUSTIFICATION Improved rice processing techniques aimed at
Increasing the acceptability, marketing and consumption of local (Ghana grown) rice needs to be pursued
This project seeks to offer equipment support and strengthen the capacities of stakeholders (post harvest) of the rice sector

9. JUSTIFICATION CONT’D
Contribute to improving competitiveness, quality, enhance income generation, food security and import substitution

10. INTERVENTION ZONES & TARGET GROUPS
Communities in rice growing areas where substantial quantities of paddy rice are produced
Communities undertaking rice processing and milling as income generating activities
Target groups: farmers, rice processors (parboiling), millers, artisans, haulage companies, traders and consumers

11. MAIN OBJECTIVE
To improve the quality, competitiveness and consumption of domestic rice

12. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES 
To offer strategic support to rice value chain actors (VCAs) for production of quality rice
To build the capacities of rice VCAs in post production handling of rice
To promote linkage of rice VCAs to credit sources to ensure reliable access to inputs, equipment and market
To facilitate reliable pricing and market information system for use by stakeholders along the value chain

13. COMPONENTS
Equipment support
Capacity building
Credit support system
Market information systems

14. A. EQUIPMENT SUPPORT Outputs Activities
Quality of paddy produced enhanced
Capacity building in quality control of paddy production
Installation and test run of harvesters and threshers
Standard rice mills installed and operating
Installation and test run of mills
Training in safety precautions, operation and maintenance of mills

15. A. EQUIPMENT SUPPORT CONT’D
Existing one-pass mills improved
Carry out modification
Build capacity of millers in the operation and maintenance of mills
Equipment spare parts provided and mills maintained and operational
Access the frequently needed parts of mills
Acquire/fabricate to build stock of needed spare parts

16. A. EQUIPMENT SUPPORT CONT’D
Quality of milled/ parboiled rice improved
Build capacities of millers in milling operations and maintenance
Build capacities of processors in improved parboiling technology

17. B. CAPACITY BUILDING
Outputs
Activities
Groups /
associations
of VCAs formed and operational
Formation and registration of groups/associations
Capacity building in effective group management
Rice quality standards developed
Identify and assess the existing quality control practices
Build capacity of processors in regulatory and quality standards

18. B. CAPACITY BUILDING CONT’D
Packaging and labelling introduced
Training of stakeholders in packaging of rice using appropriate packaging material
Training in branding and adoption of standard weights for marketing rice
Capacities of traders enhanced
Register buyers and suppliers
Capacity building of traders in grading and sorting of appropriate varieties

19. C. CREDIT SUPPORT SYSTEM
Outputs
Activities
Linkages between MFIs and value chain actors (VCAs) /associations established and functioning
Sensitize stakeholders (including micro-finance institutions) on platform creation
Organise platform meetings for interactions
Adequate credit made available to VCAs and recovered
Capacity building in basic business management practices
Capacity building in credit management

20. D. MARKET INFORMATION SYSTEMS
Output
Activities
Market inform- ation system devel-oped and operat-ional
Assessment/evaluation of business enterprises of VCAs
Data collection on prices/market trends
Collation and analysis of data
Create a database of price and market information
Develop communication system for MIS via media, cell phones, internet, information centres

21. COSTS AND FINANCING
Component
Cost (GHS) 1.
Equipment support
60m
60% 2.
Capacity building 5m 5% 3.
Credit support system
30m
30% 4.
Market information system
Total
100m
100%

22. IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY
An inception workshop to launch project
Identification of stakeholders to discuss components and guidelines for implementation
Development of work plans and budgets
Development of operational manual
Development and implementation of M&E system

23. PROJECT ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT
NRDS Coordinating Unit
National Rice Quality Control Unit
Regional Rice Quality Control Unit
District Rice Quality Control Unit
Zonal Rice Quality Control Unit

24. MONITORING AND EVALUATION
Coordinate and manage project
Periodic monitoring, evaluation and review of project activities
Periodic reports on activities carried out
Acquisition and supervised distribution of logistic support

25. RISKS AND ASSUMPTIONS Timely availability of funds
Commitment of current and successive Gov’ts
Favourable agro-climatic conditions
Commitment of project implementation partners
Good bilateral relations continue to exist between Ghana and development partners

26. QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT 2

27. QUALITY IMPROVEMENT OF DOMESTIC RICE – INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT
Main objective
To develop strategic infrastructure for storage, processing, marketing and distribution of quality rice
Specific Objectives
To provide appropriate storage/warehousing facilities for paddy and milled rice

28. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES CONT’D
To provide threshing and drying patios for sustained production of quality rice
To provide adequate access roads, water, electricity and communication facilities to rice producing and processing areas
To develop rice commodity markets at strategic locations across the country
Development of rice commodity markets

29. COMPONENTS 1. Storage facilities/warehousing development
2. Drying patios construction
3. Access roads and utility services development
4. Commodity market development

30. STORAGE FACILITY/ WAREHOUSING DEV’T
Output
Activities
Storage structures rehab./
constructed
Assessment of conditions and capacities of existing storage structures
Zone and map producing/processing areas for equitable citing of storage structures
Capacity building
Training in maintenance of storage structures
Capacity building in warehouse mng’t

31. DRYING PATIOS CONSTRUCTION
Output
Activities
Drying patios constructed/ rehabilitated
Zone and map producing/processing areas for equitable citing of patios
Evaluate bids and award contracts

32. ACCESS ROADS AND UTILITY SERVICES DEVELOPMENT
Output
Activities
Access roads constructed
Identify, map out and cost potential farm tracts, feeder and trunk roads
Evaluate and award contracts
Utility services provided
Identify, map out and cost potential utility services needed

33. COMMODITY MARKET DEVELOPMENT
Output
Activities
Rice commodity market established
Identify, map out and potential market sites
Develop market structures
Rice value chain developed
Undertake market feasibility studies
Facilitate formation of VCAs
Build capacity of actors on GAPs, GHPs, GMPs

34. Storage facility/warehousing support 60m 2
COSTS AND FINANCING
Component
Cost (GHS) 1
Storage facility/warehousing support
60m
60% 2
Construction of drying patios 5m 5% 3
Dev’t of roads and utility services
30m
30% 4
Dev’t of rice commodity markets
Total
100m
100%

35. IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY
An inception workshop to launch project
Identification of stakeholders to discuss components and guidelines for implementation
Development of work plans and budgets
Development of operational manual
Development and implementation of M&E system

36. PROJECT ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT
NRDS Coordinating Unit
National Rice Quality Control Unit
Regional Rice Quality Control Unit
District Rice Quality Control Unit
Zonal Rice Quality Control Unit

37. MONITORING AND EVALUATION
Coordinate and manage project
Periodic monitoring, evaluation and review of project activities
Periodic reports on activities carried out
Acquisition and supervised distribution of logistic support

38. RISKS AND ASSUMPTIONS
Timely availability of funds
Commitment of current and successive Governments
Favourable agro-climatic conditions
Commitment of project implementation partners
Good bilateral relations continue to exist between Ghana and development partners