Ghana Grains Council (GGC) in collaboration with the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge Fund (BUSAC Fund), is embarking on an advocacy initiative to sensitize members and other stakeholders in the agricultural commodity markets, especially the grains and legumes value chain in Ghana on the need to enforce standards in the industry.
In living up to its mandate of facilitating efficiency and productivity in the grain and legume sector and providing strategic value-added services, including warehouse receipting, advocacy, capacity building, as well as enhance market access. The Ghana Grains Council (GGC) and the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) have developed standards for grains and legumes such as Maize, Rice, Soybean, Sorghum and Groundnut.
Essence of Enforcing Standards
These National Standards developed for grains and legumes through GGC-GSA collaboration is currently not being complied with by the various value chain actors in their day-to-day activities due to the current voluntary nature of its enforcement and lack of knowledge on benefits of incorporating such standards by industry players.
Regulatory bodies are also not engaged to help promote its enforcement to benefit the entire grains industry to access high-end markets and obtain premium prices.
The aim of this advocacy program is to create awareness for all GGC members and other value chain actors in the grain/legume industry on the need to advocate for enforcement of standards in the grain industry to increase access to markets. Sensitization and stakeholders workshops earmarked for the project period will commence from the Volta Regional capital-Ho, through to Ejura in Ashanti Region, Techiman, Bono East region, Wa and Tumu in Upper West Region, Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region and Tamale the Northern region. GGC will engage with major stakeholders such as the Ghana Standards Authority-GSA, Food and Drugs Authority – FDA, representatives of the major grains market centres and other value chain actors.
Grain standard specification covers the characteristics for the grain and set requirements for three things:
- Safety
- Quality
- Sampling and test methods
Each type of grain has its own standards. The standard for maize is different from that of sorghum, soybeans, rice etc.
GGC is appealing to all members, government/public institutions and stakeholders to come on board and help implement this action successfully by influencing policy change and also adhere to standards and regulations in Ghana’s grains/legumes sub-sector to increase economic growth and productivity.
