Determinants of Rice Yield in Northern Region of Ghana, the Role of Policy

The paper estimates factors responsible for the variation of rice yield in Northern region of Ghana. A multivariate empirical regression model was used to determine the parameters of the internal and external factors that influence rice yield. The results from the double logarithmic regression model indicate that yield increased with producer price of rice and labour availability because of improvement in purchasing power and labour efficiency in farming activities. It was decreased with increasing harvested area and price of fertilizer due to fertility inadequacy in application and also increased with a rise in producer price of maize because of a shift in resource allocation in favour of maize production. It is important for government to improve farmers’ access to fertilizer and credit. This would increase fertilizer application on farms and strengthen the purchasing power of farmers to boost local rice production. The regressors explain about 77.24% of the total variation in rice yields. This suggests that, expansion of cultivated field should be accompanied by intensification measures to help mitigate the adverse impact from sole expansion of area harvested. The combination of the various factors in improving rice yield in Northern region of Ghana should be the main focus of stakeholders in agricultural development and not the mere thinking of expansion of cultivated area.