‘Make local food more attractive’ (20/02/09)

Story: Jennifer Dorno
THE Deputy Head of the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), Mrs Dzodzi Tsikata, has called on local food producers in the country to take steps to address the challenges facing them to promote the local food industry.
That, she said, was because a lot needed to be done to make local foods attractive, accessible and preferred, not only by Ghanaians but also foreigners.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Accra, Mrs Tsikata said there was the need for local food producers to improve upon the quality of locally produced foods, since these foods had rich nutritional values, compared to foreign ones.
She said it was also important for local foods to be packaged well to attract consumers, since proper packaging of foods like rice gave a good impression on the food industry.
Mrs Tsikata added that creating more distribution channels to market food products was a key factor in promoting the local food industry, since the food would be available and accessible to the public.
She said locally grown rice, which was very nice and healthy for human consumption, needed to be promoted and made available in markets and shops, instead of selling it at vantage points.
She noted that local farmers were competing unfairly with their foreign counterparts due to the liberalisation of the economy, adding that foreign foods dominating the markets did not only pose a threat to local farmers but also posed serious health threats due to the fertilisers and preservatives in such foods.
She, therefore, called on Ghanaians to consume locally produced foods to promote the local food industry, boost the economy and make Ghanaians healthy.
Mrs Tsikata also called on the government to impose tariffs on foods that were imported into the country in order to make locally produced foods cheaper for Ghanaians.