U.S. Rice Makes the Case to Ghanese Foodservice

ACCRA, GHANA -- More than 150 foodservice providers, who sell cooked rice on a daily basis as part of their businesses, attended an educational seminar hosted by USA Rice earlier this month.  The seminar was timed to coincide with the lead up to Easter holiday celebrations here as rice and rice menus are traditionally used as donations and for social events.

Participants hailed from ten different catering associations within the Greater Accra Region, providing good coverage of the entire region.  Robert Tuebner, agricultural attaché with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) in Accra, welcomed everyone to the seminar.  Joshua Taylor, an FAS agricultural specialist, also attended.

A presentation on the characteristics of rice grown in the U.S. reiterated the many advantages U.S. rice offers foodservice professionals including high quality and consistency, delivering dishes with guaranteed great taste and appearance for every serving.  Another important discussion topic was the hygiene and safety of commercial food preparation and its importance as a successful business practice.

A local U.S. rice importer donated Texas Star, a U.S. long grain brand, for a hands-on demonstration of both cleanliness and grain quality.  Participants also received contact details for all the U.S. rice importers in Ghana along with informational brochures and branded rice cooking spoons.

Ghana is a relatively price sensitive market and imported 597,000 MT of rice in 2021, the majority of which came from Vietnam as fragrant jasmine variety, as well as India, Pakistan, and China.  U.S. rice exports to Ghana amounted to 6,300 MT in 2021 with a value of $3.9 million USD.  U.S.-origin rice is especially valued by foodservice providers here for its cooking qualities mentioned above.