The Ministry of Food and Agriculture has launched a series of large-scale programmes to strengthen food security, support local processing and diversify Ghana’s agricultural economy.

Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku said the government is working with private investors and international partners to boost value addition in rice, poultry feed, cashew, onions and shea. Major investments include a €154 million agro-industrial partnership with the Italian government and a US$5 billion fertiliser and food production initiative from Qatar’s Almansour Holding.

To help stabilise markets, the government has released GH¢100 million to the National Food Buffer Stock Company to mop up excess produce for emergency storage.

The Ministry is also revitalising the poultry sector through three nationwide programmes: anchor farmer production, an intensification scheme for medium-scale farmers, and the “Nkoko Nketenkete” backyard poultry initiative targeting women and youth. More than 720,000 birds have already been distributed in selected districts.

In the tree crops subsector, the Tree Crops Development Authority is distributing millions of elite seedlings, supporting processors with grants, developing a national seed bank and rolling out a grievance redress system to improve transparency.

The Ministry has also operationalised a US$1 million revolving fund and launched a US$20 million agro-input project aimed at supporting 50,000 farming households in the northern ecological zone with fertiliser, seeds, micro-irrigation systems and poultry inputs.

According to the Minister, these interventions signal a rebuilding of Ghana’s food system anchored on resilience, sustainability and inclusive growth.

Story by Doe Benjamin Kofi Lawson