Professor Mahmoud Abdulai Mahmoud, an Associate Professor of Marketing from the Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship, University of Ghana Business School, College of Humanities, has encouraged to all Ghanaians has encouraged Ghanaians to patronize locally produced rice “to ensure that pressure is not placed on the economy with the importation of foreign rice”. He stated that government policy had been found to have mixed blessings for the local rice industry, because whereas some policies favour the local rice industry, others do not. Prof. Mahmoud made these remarks when he delivered an Inter-College Series on the topic: Packaging of Local Rice in Ghana: Mediation and Moderation Analysis. The lecture, which was organised by the College of Humanities, was chaired by the Provost of the College, Prof. Daniel Frimpong Ofori.
Prof. Mahmoud set the pace for his lecture by indicating that there are several factors to consider when it comes to the patronage and consumption of local rice but for the purpose of the lecture, the focus would be on packaging.
He indicated that the existing literature acknowledges that every farming year, tons of rice are left unpatronised in warehouses and farms in Ghana due to consumers’ reluctance to purchase the product. This, he noted, could be attributed to the lack of proper packaging. Prof. Mahmoud who defined local rice packaging as the activity of wrapping material around locally produced rice that serves to identify, protect, promote, display, contain and make the product marketable and keep it clean, argued that innovative packaging and special edition packaging significantly affect business performance positively.
He mentioned that as part of the importance of innovative packaging which includes “creative changes to pack shape or method of opening to stimulate pack interest” among many others, it is not clear how the local rice industry is tapping into this growing opportunity to enhance its sector.
Prof. Mahmoud conceptualized special edition packaging as a creative compendium that is only available for special events such as Christmas, the Eid festivals, birthdays, naming ceremonies and weddings among others, to engage customers with their brands. He stressed the need to make use of these packaging formats as it positively affects business performance.
The Lecturer also posited that packaging strategy elements such as innovative packaging, special edition packaging and value packaging are positively and significantly related to business performance in the rice industry in Ghana. Pro Mahmoud recommended that industry players should pay attention to the three elements to enhance their business performance. Attributing the non-significant findings of the green packaging to the low level of green issues in sub-Saharan Africa, he expressed the hope for a positive mindset in the future.
A cross-section of participants at the lecture
He stated that rice is an important strategic food sample in Ghana cultivated as food crop and cash crop. He added that the consumption of rice keeps increasing because of population growth, urbanization and change in consumer habit. Nonetheless, the Ghanaian market is flooded with imported rice because importers are benefitting from lower import duties due to the 50% benchmark discount policy, resulting in the lack of ready market for the local rice. He also opined xenocentrism is a factor to high existence of imported rice as compared to the local rice as globalization has exposed consumers to a wide range of goods and services, resulting in the preference of foreign products to local ones. Prof. Mahmoud stressed the need to be mindful of xenocentrism and be proud of the local rice and its local names. Prof. Mahmoud further expressed the need for government to come out with policies that will strengthen the local rice and not deter it. He advocated that government policy should strengthen the relationship between special edition packaging and the performance of the producing companies.
Concluding his lecture with some theoretical and managerial implications for academia and industry for the local rice value chain, Professor Mahmoud was hopeful that the presentation would generate further interest in the local industry by creating awareness for the sector to induce patronage.
In his closing remarks, the Chairman, Professor Dan Ofori, Provost of the College of Humanities, who had earlier introduced the Lecturer, commended Professor Mahmoud whom he identified as an expert in his field. Prof Ofori was hopeful that the illuminating lecture would enhance the importance attached to local rice in the Ghanaian economy.
The lecture was attended by the Dean of UGBS, Professor Justice N. Bawole; Head of Department at the Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship, UGBS, Professor Bedman Narteh; a cross-section of faculty, staff and students other members of the University community.
A group photo after the lecture