GHANA – The Ghanaian subsidiary of Olam International has launched the first ‘Made in Ghana’ rice know as Mama Gold.
According to reports by Ghana Web, the locally grown and sourced rice brand is aimed to bring more choices to consumers at an affordable price.
Olam Ghana is leveraging its established operational infrastructure and wide sourcing network to collaborate with rice growers in the Volta, Ashanti, and Eastern Regions to produce and stock the product.
“We are proud to be the first company to source from local suppliers and launch a rice brand that is entirely ‘Made in Ghana’.
“With our market knowledge and experience in rice farming, sourcing and distribution across Africa, we have done extensive work to ensure that Mama Gold will deliver clean, well packaged and tasty local jasmine rice that Ghanaians want,” said Mrs. Christiana Anim-Asare, Marketing Manager at Olam Ghana.
The launch of Mama Gold will support and continue the development of rice farming in Ghana to boost domestic production while promoting self-sufficiency and improve the country’s foreign exchange position.
Mr. Richard Twumasi-Ankrah, Director at the Planting for Food and Jobs Secretariat during the unveiling of the product said his outfit is fully committed to reducing the annual rice import bill.
According to him, the import bill is high which has necessitated the importation of substantial quantities to supplement national demand.
He said rice is one of the tops crops being promoted under the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) Campaign and as such, the ministry will put in place a strategy for increasing farm-level productivity.
“We are proud to be the first company to source from local suppliers and launch a rice brand that is entirely ‘Made in Ghana’.”
Marketing Manager at Olam Ghana – Mrs. Christiana Anim-Asare
The government interventions have already resulted in improved yield from an average of 2.72 metric tons per hectare in 2016 to an average of 4.2 metric tons per hectare in 2019.
In addition, local rice production has increased from 688,000 metric tons of paddy production in 2016 to a total paddy production of 925,000 metric tons in 2019.
Mama Gold complements Olam Ghana’s existing portfolio of leading national rice brands, including Royal Aroma, Royal Feast and Mama Africa.
Olam also offers a variety of rice brands across Africa, such as Mama’s Pride, Mama Africa and Mama Gold in Nigeria, Riz Meme Casse and Bijou in Cameroon, and Royal Aroma and Mama Africana in Mozambique.
Meanwhile, the global food and agri-business company, Olam International is planning to introduce its Olam Markets, a B2B food distribution mobile application to other West Africa countries i.e. Nigeria and Cameroon.
Olam Markets was first developed in Ghana to connect distributors of its food products with retailers, fostering an efficient, effective and convenient way of undertaking business.
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