Mahama launches Feed Ghana Programme as country spends $2b on food imports
President John Dramani Mahama at the weekend launched the Feed Ghana Programme, a government flagship intervention, to boost food productivity.
The programme seeks to encourage the adoption of modern farming techniques, enhance infrastructure, and establish agro-industrial zones nationwide.
President Mahama stressed the importance of prioritising agriculture as a crucial component of the nation’s economic transformation when he launched the programme at Techiman, the Bono East Regional capital.
He underscored the need for a shift from the traditional way of agriculture.
The programme is focused on implementing strategic measures to boost food production, he stated, saying the current food import bill of $2 billion annually was staggering.
President Mahama said agro-industries were also operating well below their full capacity, indicating that despite a decline from a peak of 54 percent in 2022, inflation still remained high at over 22 percent.
He said there was an urgent need for a renewed focus and commitment to ensuring food self-sufficiency and agricultural transformation to secure the nation’s future.
Despite Ghana’s efforts to modernize its agriculture sector over the years, persistent challenges such as low productivity, inadequate extension services, poor market linkages, limited value addition, and weak infrastructure continue to hinder progress.
However, the President said the country’s fertile land, abundant water resources, generous sunshine, and energetic youth remained valuable assets, acknowledging the presence of strong research institutions and technical expertise.
President Mahama underscored the importance of harnessing these resources to drive real and sustainable progress by providing food security, supporting industries, creating employment opportunities, and improving incomes nationwide.
He outlined his government’s vision to modernise and expand agriculture in order to create jobs, reduce food inflation, and strengthen food security, saying the Feed Ghana Programme would serve as a strategic umbrella for all agricultural projects and interventions.
President Mahama highlighted the importance of the Feed Ghana Programme that prioritised commodities that would play a crucial role in ensuring food security, reducing imports, promoting industrial growth, and boosting exports.
The key commodities that would be focused on include grains and legumes such as maize, rice, soybeans, and sorghum.
Also, vegetables, including tomatoes, onions, and chilli peppers would be given special attention while starchy crops like cassava, plantain, and yam would also be prioritised.
There will also be a focus on industrial crops including cocoa, mango, oil palm, coconut, rubber, cotton, cashew, Shea, coffee, and ginger.
President Mahama said the livestock sector would also concentrate more on poultry, cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs.
Source: GNA