Selorm Branttie, Vice President of IMANI Africa, has called on President John Dramani Mahama to take urgent steps to protect Ghanaian farmers from the influx of cheap food imports, warning that the survival of the country’s agricultural sector is at stake.
In an open letter addressed to the President, Branttie applauded government initiatives to promote local poultry production but cautioned that such efforts risk being undermined without a deliberate strategy to strengthen the entire agricultural value chain.
“Indeed, it is great that we are promoting homegrown poultry and using it to empower farmers, as well as protect us from overdependence on imports. However, all that effort means nothing if we do not consider the whole value chain in full,” he wrote.
Branttie criticized recent policies that have eased maize and rice imports, noting that the move has pushed local farmers into heavy losses. According to him, maize farmers are being forced to sell a 50kg bag for around GH¢200, far below the breakeven price of GH¢300, because of reports of up to 800,000 metric tonnes of maize being imported at the peak of harvest.
“Local maize farmers are being forced to sell a 50kg bag of maize at around 200 cedis today because of this huge imports, when the breakeven cost for a bag is around 300 cedis. A whole year’s worth of harvest being sold at 35% less than the breakeven price because of huge imports right at the peak of harvest season,” Branttie lamented.
He warned that persistent losses could drive farmers out of agriculture and into illegal mining, deepening environmental destruction. He also stressed that banks would be unwilling to finance agriculture if pricing instability continues.
“Every loss that a farmer makes incentivizes them to switch to galamsey and destroy the environment. Already, we have lots of youth running around in rabid delirium tearing down cocoa trees, rubber trees, yes, rubber! and destroying arable farmland in a fool’s search for gold,” he said.
Branttie urged Mahama to consider establishing a grains council or board to stabilize prices and better manage supply and demand, adding that a lack of coordinated policy would leave local farmers at the mercy of subsidized foreign competition.
“Many cereal and grain farmers have lost money this year to cheap imports. Is this how we want to continue? Are we going to protect the local farmer? How will farmers be able to recoup losses?” he asked.
Citing agriculture’s central role in Ghana’s economy, Branttie reminded the President that over half of the population depends on farming for their livelihoods. “All of these things are key to your legacy as a President, especially since you are a farmer yourself,” he wrote.
