A new era of agriculture?

The thought that we as Africans, are capable of managing our own affairs immediately brings hope to our inner souls.

Even though for decades after the overthrow and subsequent death of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana has not made such significant strides in different areas of agriculture which is supposed to be the primary source of strength for the national economy.

The purpose of this article is not only to outline some great initiatives the current Agric Minister have launched in all sectors of agriculture but to also the systematic masterplans being adopted to uplift and transform agriculture in Ghana can bring Ghana into the forefront of agricultural development across the subregion under four years.

Monitoring the Government’s attitude towards agriculture, the AISS attended the new Government’s launch of the FEED GHANA PROGRAMME at Techiman on the 12th of April 2025 in the Bono East Region. During the launch, HIS EXCELLENCY PRESIDENT JOHN DRAMANI MAHAMA as part of his government’s Key Interventions in Agriculture listed a few key transformational strategies which could help turn the around the agricultural fortunes of the nation. These Key Interventions include:

1) Promotion of SMART Agriculture

In his introductory speech, His Excellency the President stated, “We will establish Farmers’ Service Centres nationwide to provide mechanization services, quality inputs, finance, markets, primary processing, training, and technical support. To support young entrepreneurs in addition, we will develop Farm Banks or land banks in designated agricultural zones with irrigation potential to support production, particularly young agripreneurs.

In the past, such beautiful statements and pronouncements would be made, and it will be considered as just another speech. However, on this occasion, the AISS can confirm that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture run by the Honourable Minister Eric Opoku has already delineated and circled strategic areas across the country. With appropriate suitability methods in terms of where and how to place these above-mentioned strategicgovernment key policies such as the Farmers’ Service Centres (FSC), the Ministry has categorized and placed either the mechanization support aspects or processing in the appropriate Districts across the country.

For example, the first Farmers’ Service Center for Meat and Poultry is expected to be situated at Bechem in the Ahafo Region whiles that of Grains, Cereals and Nuts is destined
to be located at Upper East Region and Ashanti Regin respectively.

According to the Minister, his vision is to establish a Farmer Service Centre in every farming district across the country with each district having either an Input Centre or Processing Centre or even both depending on the need of that district or municipality. Honourable Eric Opoku who is the minister for Food and Agriculture, in a short interview with AISS expressed profound desire to uplift the overall food and agriculture value chain with his ultimate goal of achieving affordable and sustainable food security for all.

Fruits & Vegetables

Apart from his plan to establish his first Farmer’s Service Centre for Meat and Poultry at Bechem in the Ahafo Region, the Minister also shared his intention to establish a new Farmer Service Centre for Fruits and Vegetables Processing. He explained that this processing center will work closely with both small and large scall farmers to secure all their produce and buy from them at farm gate.

The Fruits and Vegetable Processing Centre, which will be fitted with the capacity and machineries to convert fruits into concentrates as well as cannery machineries to can fresh tomatoes and other fresh vegetables to protect price stabilization during drought and out of season periods. Like all other Farmer’s Service Centres, this center will operate as a business incubator center with offices where new agripreneurs and startups will be trained and be provided with all necessary support required to help them grow.

Roots & Tubers

Farmer’s Service Centre for Roots and Tubers Processing is the next on the list for the Honourable Minister as he embarks on his transformational agenda for the Agric sector. This Farmer’s Service Centre (FSC) will also be fitted with modern food research equipment not only for research into developing the quality of roots and tubers but with primary purpose of creating bread flour and other useful processed products from yams and or cassavas.

This processing centre regardless of which part of the country is located will focus on processing and turninginto different consumable sources of carbohydrates. For example, the facility will have the capacity to wash, cut, dry, chop and slice all tubers for supermarkets and other retail shops.

Cassava chips will be produced from cassava and supplied to manufactures of ethanol. Yams will be sliced or chopped into different sizes before freezing them to preserve their freshness for long distance transporting to other regions. The roots and tuber centre wherever it may be located will have large storage facilities to store hundreds of thousands of half processed roots and tubers for years without any damage whatsoever. Even though the facility is ostensibly set up with roots and tubers being its primary focus, processing of plantain will also be part of the center’s activities with same objective of enhancing food security to ensure zero food inflation.

Grains, Cereals and Nuts

With fourteen (14) ten thousand (10,000) metric tons of silos and fitted with modern high tech processing machinery, the Farmer’s Service Center for Grains, Cereals and Nuts upon
completion should bring unprecedented stability in the supply and availability of grains across all parts of the country.

As explained to AISS at MoFA during an interview, this particular processing centre will also function as one of the Input and Support Centres which primarily focuses on providing
farmers input and support services such as the provision of fertilizers, tractors, seeds and ploughing services. This processing centre, installed with all relevant laboratory
equipment, will be tasked to research into easy and different methods of processing and adding value to grains, cereals and nuts for local consumption and export.

2) Institutional Farming

During the launch of Feed Ghana Programme, President Mahama also mentioned his plans to encourage families, companies and schools to engage in both crop and livestock farming wherever they are to help improve food sufficiency in households. Institutions in partly were advised to go into commercial farming to raise revenue to support their activities. It was also mentioned that the Ministry has plans to support schools with lands with some agricultural inputs for crops as well as day old chicks (nkuko nkitnkiti) to encourage schools and students to develop interest in poultry and other livestock farming.

Horticulture

Horticulture is the art and science of growing and cultivating flowers and ornamental plants. In Kenya, horticulture contributes significantly towards the Kenyan GBP by generating substantial foreign exchange from exports of flowers and other ornamental byproducts and plants to all parts of the world. The industry provides thousands of employments and livelihoods while creating massive diversification in many ways including supply of raw materials for the manufacturing sector.The interview with the Honourable Minister of Food and Agriculture also revealed his plans for developing the horticulture industry in Ghana with utter speed and innovation that will ravish into admiration by all Ghanaians. According to the Minister, his primary objective is not only to make horticultural products available in the Ghanaian market but also to create an export market for it as a contributor towards the GDP.

Dairy Processing (Plant Amrahia)

Finally, when the Honourable Eric Opoku the Minister of Food and Agriculture was asked id he has any plan for the dairy industry in Ghana, the Minister responded with such excitement and
enthusiasm as if he was expecting that question from the AISS interviewer. The Minister mentioned his plan to establish an ultra-modern multipurpose and integrated diary processing
centre which could make several end products including cheese, butter, fresh milk, evaporated milk, powered milk etc.

The facility will be situated at Amrahia, where Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s first milk farm was established. The Minister emphasised the need for the dairy industry to be immediately given a boost to reduce our over-reliance on imported dairy products for consumption. Like everywhere else in the world, (he stated,) the setting up of an integrated dairy processing plant comes with massive job opportunities, and this is what is expected in Amrahia next year when it’s expected.

In the view of AISS, taking into consideration that many brilliant in agriculture has been written about and discussed in the past with none ever being effectively being implemented, IASS will be keeping a close eye on the progress of the Ministry twelve months from now and report to our readers on exactly what has been achieved so far and what is left to be done.

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