Vice-President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has urged Ghanaians to eat more locally produced food, saying consumer choices can help support farmers, businesses and jobs across the country.
She made the call while praising the Member of Parliament and Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, John Dumelo, for promoting the consumption of made-in-Ghana rice and other locally produced foods.
In a statement, the Vice-President said Ghana needed to increasingly “eat what we grow and grow what we eat”, arguing that choosing locally produced food could have a wider impact on the economy.
She said buying food produced by Ghanaian farmers would help support their livelihoods, strengthen local businesses and keep more value within the domestic economy.
According to her, increased demand for locally produced food could also create jobs along the agricultural value chain, from farming and processing to distribution and retail.
The Vice-President said the government would continue to support efforts to increase domestic food production through initiatives such as the Feed Ghana Programme.
However, she stressed that government measures alone would not be enough and that consumers also had an important role to play.
“Government action must be matched by our choices as consumers,” she said.
She encouraged Ghanaians to take pride in locally produced food and make deliberate choices to support products grown and made in the country.
“Let us proudly consume what Ghana produces,” she added.
