Kofi Wayo's Rice Floods Market

Kofi Wayo, folk hero or political maverick - the NPP parliamentary candidate for Ayawaso in Election 2000 never fails to cause a stir. His name is currently riding high in the business districts of Accra for all the right and wrong reasons. Market women dealing in foodstuff are now hailing him as a kind of messiah. It even seems as though Election 2004 is around the corner and the market women are the foot soldiers of the "Nima Boy".

The source of the euphoria is what is now fast gaining in popularity as the "Kofi Wayo Rice". The story out in town is that he has flooded the market with good quality but cheaper rice than the other imports on the market. At the time of writing, he was out of town, but a source close to him in a telephone conversation confirmed to The Accra Mail that the story is indeed true.

Kofi Wayo had earlier told an editor of The Accra Mail a few months before the last elections that he was in the process of bringing into the country large consignments of rice. This, he said, was intended to contribute towards solving the food problems of the country and to get the unemployed youth engaged in one form or the other. He had also at various campaign platforms before the polls promised the youth especially in his constituency more jobs and food when the NPP came to power. Many young girls are currently taking advantage of the low price of the Kofi Wayo Rice by buying and retailing it in small measures, from the margarine tin to the popular "olonka". Before the arrival of the Wayo rice into the country, sceptics had started questioning the ability of Kofi Wayo to fulfil his election promises. The arrival of the large consignment of rice seems to be a fulfilment of the Nima Boy's promise, at least to provide food.

When the Accra Mail went to the city centre, market gossip centred round the "Kofi Wayo Rice". At one of the shops in Tudu, Paa Kwesi, a storeowner, said he was excited about the arrival of the rice. "We are very happy with Kofi Wayo." He however advised Kofi Wayo to do something about some traders who have started adulterating the commodity. He said, "they blend it with other rice brands which are of inferior quality and less patronised. They re-bag this in the "Kofi Wayo Rice" bags for sale to unsuspecting customers."

For now the "Kofi Wayo Rice" is causing a major storm on the market as it is upstaging the other brands because of its lower price and good quality. A standard bag sells for between ?135,000 and ?140,000 in contrast to other brands which sell for between ?200,000 and ?250,000.

It is not yet clear how the Ministry of Agriculture would view this development, since the NPP government's policy is to encourage local rice production, which would eventually supplant the foreign imports.

The last word should surely go to a customer who told The Accra Mail that "before the Ghana rice appears on the market, we must eat and if Kofi Wayo will help us to eat, why should we complain?"