On Monday, our Chief Executive Office, Mr George Abradu-Otoo, accompanied by the management team briefed the Parliament Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs on the food glut issue and the National Food Reserve.
Committee Chairman, Hon. Godfred Jasaw lauded NAFCO for good job so far.
The Deputy Minister, accompanied by senior directors from the Ministry, had earlier interacted with several exhibitors before arriving at the NAFCO stands.
A Quality Control Officer, Sylvia Sowatey, briefed the delegation on NAFCO’s operations, including ongoing efforts to restock the national food reserve using surplus grains from local farmers.
She noted that the company also maintains stocks for the ECOWAS Regional Food Reserve in addition to serving as the lead supplier of non-perishable foods to public senior high schools under the Free SHS programme
Mr. Dumelo commended NAFCO for its role in strengthening the government’s food security agenda, describing its interventions as “timely and impactful.”
NAFCO is one of 21 government agencies exhibiting at the week-long fair, which showcases achievements across Ghana’s agriculture, fisheries and agribusiness sectors.
Some 250 exhibitors, including input dealers, development partners, seed producers, academia and financial institutions, are participating to promote agriculture as a dignified and rewarding profession.
The fair will climax on Friday with the 41st National Farmers Day celebration, where distinguished farmers, fishermen and other sector players will be honoured.
Sector Minister Eric Opoku officially opened the fair on Monday, reiterating the government’s commitment to prioritising agriculture. Also present were Regional Minister James Gunu and Council of State member Gabriel Kwamigah.
This year’s celebration is themed “Feed Ghana, Eat Ghana, Secure the Future.”
Source:MyJoyOnline
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He said the move would mark a strategic shift towards seed sovereignty as a cornerstone of national food security.
“Without seed sovereignty, there can be no food security,” Mr Opoku said when he took his turn at the Government Accountability Series at the Presidency in Accra yesterday.
The minister outlined a comprehensive plan to end the recurring crisis of delayed imported seeds that often arrived after the planting season.
He stated that with the support of the Korea Plant Industries Association (KOPIA), Ghanaian farmers were undergoing intensive training in seed production. Simultaneously, Korea Rural Cooperation was also developing irrigation infrastructure on 100 hectares of land to support rice seed production.
To ensure sustainability and affordability, the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT) has commissioned a one-megawatt (1MW) solar farm to power the irrigation systems, with technical support from the Ministry of Energy, the minister detailed.
“This project is expected to be completed in 2027. It will produce 10,000 tonnes of high-quality rice seed, and Ghana will be well on its way to rice seed independence,” Mr Opoku said.
Further collaborations were underway with the Japan International Cooperation Agency, which is training rice seed producers in Wheta in the Ketu North District in the Volta Region, the Upper East Regional capital, Bolgatanga, and Tono in the Kassena-Nankana District, Upper East.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has also been signed with the government of The Netherlands to facilitate both technical and financial capacity building for the development of vegetable seed production in Ghana.
The minister also expressed the ministry’s “unqualified appreciation” to KOPIA for making available 300 tonnes of Agyapa Rice Seed, developed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), to support rice farmers free of charge.
The foundational work on seed sovereignty is part of a broader scientific overhaul.
“FAO, MoFA and the Soil Research Institute of CSIR are collaborating to build a reliable scientific foundation for sustainable soil management and agricultural planning in Ghana,” Mr Opoku stated.
On climate resilience, the Food and Agriculture Minister reported significant strides, noting the installation of 20 automated weather stations.
“These stations, unlike manual ones, collect data automatically 24/7, ensuring higher accuracy and consistency, faster data transmission and enhanced forecasting and climate modelling for disaster prevention and farm planning,” he explained.
This focus on seed sovereignty and climate resilience forms a critical part of the broader Agriculture for Economic Transformation Agenda, which is being implemented through the Feed Ghana Programme.
Mr Opoku added that the programme had now evolved into a national movement, with institutions such as the Ghana Armed Forces, the National Service Authority and over 413 schools actively engaged in institutional farming.
To support the agricultural transformation, the ministry was also aggressively expanding irrigation infrastructure, he added.
The Food and Agriculture Minister also highlighted major private sector involvement, announcing a €154 million investment by the government of Italy in partnership with BF International, aimed at transforming large-scale commercial agriculture in Ghana.
Under the initiative, he said, a 10,000-hectare irrigated model farm was being developed for the production of rice, maize, soya and tomato on an all-year-round basis.
Mr Opoku assured the nation of the ministry’s commitment to delivering results with urgency, integrity and accountability, framing the collective effort as a generational mandate to transform Ghana’s agricultural sector.
Further solidifying the drive towards self-sufficiency, the government is executing a major revitalisation of Ghana’s poultry sector to curb the annual import bill of between $300 million and $400 million.
This is being pursued through a three-pronged strategy under the Poultry Industry Revitalisation Programme.
The programme comprises the Poultry Farm to the Table Project, which targets the production of four million birds through 50 anchor farmers; the Poultry Intensification Programme, which will empower 500 small-to-medium scale farmers to produce three million birds; and the ‘Nkoko Nketenkete’ Initiative, a backyard poultry farming programme focused on women and youth, also targeting three million birds.
The minister confirmed that the ‘Nkoko Nketenkete’ initiative, which had already successfully distributed 720,000 birds to 13,000 farmers in 12 districts as a pilot, would be fully launched for the immediate distribution of three million birds to all constituencies.
To manage the anticipated boom in local production, he said, the government would establish a poultry processing factory in Bechem, and that the sod would be cut on Thursday.
Mr Opoku announced that the procurement processes had been completed, and the sod-cutting ceremony would be performed by President John Dramani Mahama on Thursday.
“These coordinated interventions are designed to substantially reduce Ghana’s reliance on imported poultry, create sustainable jobs and improve access to affordable, protein-rich food for all Ghanaians,” Mr Opoku stated.
Source: graphic.com.gh
The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has announced a €154 million investment from the Government of Italy, in partnership with BF International, to support the transformation of large-scale commercial agriculture in Ghana.
He made the announcement at the Government Accountability Series in Accra on Monday, November 24.
According to him, the project will include the development of a 10,000-hectare irrigated model farm for the all-year-round cultivation of rice, maize, soya and tomatoes.
As part of the initiative, CIHEAM Bari, an agency of the Italian Government, will collaborate with the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) at the University of Ghana to establish a national seed bank.
CIHEAM Bari will also partner with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to roll out a nationwide soil testing and land-suitability programme to improve crop performance.
Mr Opoku explained that these efforts fall under the Mahama administration’s Feed Ghana Programme, introduced to modernise agriculture, strengthen food security, support job creation, reduce import dependence and increase domestic production and exports.
He outlined a series of developments achieved over the past nine months.
He noted that 10 new small dams have been constructed while eight existing irrigation dams have been rehabilitated. In addition, 250 solar-powered boreholes have been installed for farming communities and second-cycle schools across the five regions of the north, Bono and Ahafo.
The Agric Minister noted that major irrigation schemes are also undergoing rehabilitation.
These include the Vea Irrigation Scheme in the Bolgatanga and Bongo districts of the Upper East Region, covering 850 hectares; the Weta Irrigation Scheme in the Ketu North Municipality of the Volta Region, covering 880 hectares; and the Tanoso Irrigation Scheme in the Techiman Municipality of the Bono East Region, covering 100 hectares.
The Kpong Irrigation Scheme in the Shai Osudoku and Lower Manya districts of the Greater Accra and Eastern regions, which spans 930 hectares, is also being upgraded, together with the 200-hectare Ashaiman Irrigation Scheme in Greater Accra and the 245-hectare Aveyime Irrigation Scheme in the Volta Region.
He added that 25 solar-powered boreholes have already been completed, and the remaining 10 will be ready in the first quarter of 2026, alongside 44 additional solar boreholes for selected northern districts.
The Minister said processes have begun for the development of several inland valleys for rice production.
These include the 175-hectare Anunuso Inland Valley in the Anunuso, Brofoyedu, Nkwawkwanua and Awaham communities of the Ashanti Region; the 150-hectare Atonsu Inland Valley in the Atonsu and Abramaso communities, also in the Ashanti Region; and the 647-hectare Kawampe Inland Valley serving the Kwawampe, Tanfulto, Kaaka, Tadefufuo, Tahiru Akura, Chiranda, Atta Akura and Abrewanko communities in the Bono East Region.
Additional developments include the Odaho and Odamu Inland Valleys in the Yaw Nkrumah and Donuaso communities of the Ashanti Region, covering 114 hectares, along with the Waamu-Kumi Inland Valley in Waamu Kumi and Offinho, also in the Ashanti Region, which covers 114 hectares.
Mr Opoku revealed further that the Government of Ghana and the Korea Rural Cooperation (KRC) are constructing irrigation infrastructure on 100 hectares of land to support rice seed production.
He assured the public that the Mahama administration is committed to expanding irrigation systems nationwide to promote all-year-round farming.
He said the government expects 10,000 tonnes of high-quality rice seed to be produced by 2027, adding, “Ghana will be well on its way to rice seed independence.”
He also highlighted improvements in food inflation, recalling that it stood at an unprecedented 61 per cent in January 2023, dropped to 28.3 per cent in January 2025, and declined further to 9.5 per cent by October 2025.
According to him, this demonstrates the positive impact of the reforms and strategic interventions being rolled out under the Feed Ghana Programme.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
Mr Eric Opoku, the Minister of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has urged the teeming unemployed youth to engage in farming, as the government does more to modernise agriculture.
He said the agriculture sector and farming in particular remained a lucrative enterprise with huge prospects to improve the socio-economic livelihoods of the people.
Mr Opoku dispelled the wrong public perception that farming was not lucrative and reserved for the poor, saying, “many of the successful individuals in the country are engaged in farming”.
“In fact, the biggest farmer in the country now is President John Dramani Mahama and no farmer in Ghana cultivates more onions, maize and rice than he does,” Mr Opoku stated.
The Minister gave the advice when he spoke at the dedication of Apostle Clement Brakatu Temple of the Apostles’ Continuation Church International in Sunyani on the theme, “Except the Lord build house”.
Mr Opoku said: “Many prominent individuals are reaping substantial benefits from agriculture”, urging the youth to engage in farming to better their lots.
He expressed worry that presently the country spent at least $400 million annually on tomato imports from Burkina Faso, saying, “If we stop importing tomatoes, that money can be redirected to building of factories and creation of more job opportunities for the youth”.
Mr Opoku said the government had introduced the Feed Ghana Programme to advance the growth of the agricultural sector making the agriculture sector more attractive as well as inspire the masses to do backyard gardening and contribute to household food security.
He said: “Senior High Schools are being encouraged to engage in farming to feed their students with institutions being encouraged to venture into large-scale farming under the feed programme”.
Mr Opoku said the profitability in farming moved him to actively engage in the enterprise, adding that, “many politicians, former and present ministers of state as well as Members of Parliament are now farmers”.
He regretted what he described as the under-utilisation of the nation’s fertile and arable lands, saying, “Despite our abundant arable lands, we have not cultivated it sufficiently and as a result, we import tomatoes and onions from Burkina Faso and Niger”.
Mr Seid Mubarak, the MP for the Sunyani East Constituency, noted that the construction and dedication of the temple was a testament to the commitment of religious bodies to preach the gospel and thereby shape society.
Source: GNA
