�We cannot take this contaminated Burmese cereal for our citizens; you must find another country with cheap regulations and dump it on them�. This was what the owners of a huge consignment of infested rice loaded in MV Stephanis were told at their last port before they selected Ghana as the �best country� to offload their contaminated rice.
The New Crusading Guide newspaper can confirm that MV Stephanis birthed in Ghana on 7 December 2009, after being rejected in Conakry, Guinea and Freetown, Sierra Leone. She is carrying a quantity of 11.487 metric tonnes of Burmese rice, 25% broken, hoping that it could be pushed unto the Ghanaian consumer, by any means necessary. The shipper of the consignment was Universal Navigation Pte Ltd.
While they were not given respite in other countries, Port Health authorities in Ghana have been kind enough to go and fumigate the vessel and its contaminants. This was done three days ego. Though a critical look at the rice showed the magnitude of infestation, Mr. Saka, the Port Health Director, had been kind enough to send samples to the Ghana Standard Board (GSB) for a test, a process he said would take a week to complete.
Our sources within Government however, say that the one week process could be corrupted by the owners of such consignments who are always ready to pour huge sums of money to ensure that they dump them on the market so that they do not lose their business.
�I have physically examined it. They were infested and I have already told the owners that judging from what we saw from the sample they are not likely to pass the test�, Mr. Saka indicated in an interview. The New Crusading Guide on board a chartered boat, sighted MV. Stephanis at the anchorage in Tema. The Port Health boss said that MV Stephanis� crew were told to leave the harbor for the test process to be completed before they would either be allowed in or turned away.
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