Paraboiled rice quality improvement programme in some selected communities in the Northern Region of Ghana

Abstract

The pilot project on parboiled rice quality improvement in some communities around Tamale begun with a presentation on an earlier feasibility study carried out. Selected farmers from the four communities signed contracts that contained some terms and obligations bothering on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). Under the terms of the contract each farmer was to sell one ton of clean paddy to the apex body at an agreed price of ¢ 135,000 per bag (83kg). The Food Research Institute(FRI) contracted a Tamale based Agricultural Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), Zang Ti Wumi Farmers Association (Zafarms) to supervise the communities to observe the terms of the cotract and to report monthly on the situation on the ground. Land preparation was done for the farmers, cracks and breaks in bunds were repaired and bund heights were raised to make water management in the fields more efficient. The rice variety used for this pilot project was TOX 3107 and this was supplied by the seed Unit of Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA). Training sessions were organised for farmers, processors and millers to equip them with the requisite knowledge to produce good quality rice that would sell for a good price. To facilitate the procurement of paddy and the processing part of the project, there was supply of some technical inputs. These included two sack sewing machines, spare needles and twines and two (200kg) scales. Ten parboiling vessels were also supplied to selected processors. Repair work was done on the drying floors of the processors to put all of them in good shape. In addition two selected mills were rehabilitated to improve their milling efficiencies. Due to unfavourable weather, the yields in the communities were generally below expectation. Coupled with the refusal of the Gbalahi community to sell most of their paddy, it became urgent for Apex body to buy additional paddy of good quality from the open market to make up the paddy originally targeted for processing. Processing of the paddy was done by two groups of women processors at two centres: Tamale and Kumbungu. Sensory quality of rice samples from these centres was assessed by trained panelists using descriptive analysis. In spite of the training and monitoring, it was apparent that the quality of parboiled rice produced by the women processors under this programme was not equal the quality produced by processors from Upper East (control sample) as desired though it was far above the quality generally produced in Tamale and its environs. The project was generally successful but some lessons were learnt and therefore some recommendations were suggested for future similar projects