Government is repositioning agriculture as a commercially driven sector by expanding storage infrastructure, deploying energy solutions for farm operations and promoting circular input systems to reduce production costs and boost agribusiness profitability, Mr. Kwesi Etu Bonde, Technical Adviser to the Minister for Food and Agriculture, has said.
In an interview, Mr. Bonde said the strategy is aimed at tackling structural bottlenecks that undermine agribusiness growth, particularly post-harvest losses, high energy costs and inefficient input supply chains.
He said inadequate storage continued to erode farmers’ revenues and discourage private investment, adding that government is working with farmers, aggregators and private partners to roll out modern warehouses and cold storage facilities to support large-scale production and stable supply.
“Without storage, agriculture remains speculative. With storage, it becomes bankable,” Mr. Bonde said, noting that improved storage would help farmers time market entry, stabilise prices and strengthen their bargaining power within value chains.
He said energy provision, especially solar-powered systems, is also central to government’s agribusiness agenda, as it reduced operating costs for irrigation, processing and preservation while supporting year-round production.
According to him, reliable and affordable energy was critical for attracting private capital into agriculture and transitioning farmers from subsistence production to commercially viable enterprises.
Mr. Bonde further disclosed that government is integrating circular economy principles into agriculture by converting poultry waste into compost under the “Nkonkonko Nkitinkiti” initiative.
He said decomposed poultry waste would be distributed across all regions as organic fertiliser, lowering farmers’ dependence on imported chemical fertilisers, cutting input costs and creating new value streams within the poultry and crop sectors.
“This is about turning waste into value and building linkages between livestock and crop farming that make economic sense,” he said.
The business-oriented approach was underscored by the launch of the Vegetable Hub of Excellence at the University of Ghana Farms, which government views as a pipeline for agripreneurs and technology-led vegetable production.
Launching the hub, the Minister for Food and Agriculture said the facility is expected to train at least 300 young entrepreneurs in commercial vegetable farming and agribusiness management, positioning them to participate competitively in domestic food markets.
He said the hub was designed as a demonstration of modern, investment-ready agriculture, using solar-powered groundwater extraction, drip irrigation, fertigation and mulching to reduce operational risk and increase productivity.
According to the Minister, organic waste generated at the hub would be composted and recycled, while improved production methods would ensure consistent supply of quality vegetables to urban markets at competitive prices.
He said the project aligned with government’s Feed Ghana Programme, which seeks to transform agriculture into a job-creating and revenue-generating sector capable of reducing food imports and improving trade balances.
The Minister said training at the hub would focus on commercially relevant skills including pest and disease management, ecological farming systems and mechatronics, making agriculture more attractive to young investors and start-ups.
He commended the partnership between the University of Ghana, Defarmereist Group Limited and the MTN Ghana Foundation, describing it as a model for leveraging private sector financing and academic expertise to de-risk agribusiness ventures.
He said stronger collaboration between industry and academia is necessary to generate scalable agricultural solutions and build confidence among financiers and investors.
The Minister expressed optimism that initiatives such as improved storage, energy-backed production and circular input systems would reposition agriculture as a profitable enterprise and a key driver of Ghana’s economic growth.
