The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has said that the past ten months have been a period of urgent action, bold reforms, and determined implementation in the agric sector.
He said under the leadership of President John Dramani Mahama, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture has not only diagnosed the deep-rooted challenges of the agricultural system, but has also begun the necessary groundwork to restructure that system for the future.
From institutional farming campaigns, farmer cooperatives, irrigation development, value addition, agricultural mechanisation, to weather prediction systems, he said, the Ministry has laid the critical cornerstones for a resilient, productive, and inclusive food economy.
But, he said ” our work is far from done. Ghana still imports what we can grow. Our rural youth still migrate in search of jobs that agriculture can provide.
“Our farmers still face risks that can be prevented with the right investment, tools, information, and access, and our economy remains vulnerable to external shocks that a strong domestic food system can buffer.”
Speaking during the Government Accountability Series earlier, he said the Ministry’s focus over the next year will be on the following key priorities:
- Consolidation and Expansion of Feed Ghana Interventions, including:
- Scaling up irrigation and mechanisation coverage;
- Deepening the integration of farmer cooperatives into all service delivery models; and
- Operationalising the full chain of local seed production, certification, and distribution.
- Strengthening Agricultural Research and Innovation Systems by :
- Modernising our research infrastructure in partnership with CSIR; and
- Bridging the gap between research findings and field application through better-resourced AEAs and digital platforms.
- Public-Private Partnerships for Agro-Industrialisation to:
- Expand the investment pipeline under SIP, SADEP and other frameworks; and
- Promote inclusive value chains that engage women, youth, and smallholders.
- Climate Resilience and Sustainable Land Use for:
- Rolling out Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) technologies across all districts; and
- Leveraging digital tools and remote sensing for land restoration, planning, and resource optimisation.
- Job Creation and Youth Employment entailing the:
- Acceleration of the National Service Agripreneur Track under the Feed Ghana Programme; and
- Transitioning of successful service personnel into long-term agribusiness ventures and the public sector.
- Digitalisation of Agricultural Services for :
- Operationalising agricultural data systems to support farmer registration, traceability, subsidy targeting, and market access;
- Enhancing real-time data sharing among key stakeholders through digital dashboards and MIS platforms.
