President John Dramani Mahama has outlined a fresh set of agricultural policies anchored on modern irrigation, affordable credit, and guaranteed market access to boost year-round production and strengthen Ghana’s food security.
Speaking at the 41st National Farmers Day celebration in Ho, the President said no country can achieve food security without deliberate investment in systems that support continuous cultivation beyond the rainy season.
“We can only guarantee food security if we put in place mechanisms that support all-year-round agriculture,” he said. “That is why we are taking irrigation seriously, both in areas close to water bodies and in areas where underground water can be accessed.”
President Mahama announced that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture will roll out solar-powered water pumps and drill boreholes for farmers, including those operating on small 10-acre plots, to ensure uninterrupted irrigation without dependence on the national grid.
He noted that year-round irrigation could enable up to three harvests a year, with 10 acres of irrigated land producing yields comparable to 40 acres of rain-fed fields.
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The President also applauded women farmers and fishers, particularly members of the Ghana Association of Female Agricultural and Fish Farming Award Winners (GAFAFAW), describing them as essential to the country’s agricultural transformation.
On agricultural financing, he acknowledged that high interest rates continue to limit productivity and reaffirmed government’s commitment to delivering single-digit credit for farmers.
“Credit for agriculture must be below 10 percent. At the current rates, farmers end up working for banks instead of themselves,” he said.
President Mahama expressed concern about continued imports of food items for the School Feeding Programme despite local farmers having unsold produce.
“It is unacceptable that rice from Vietnam is being used to feed our schoolchildren when our farmers still have stock from last year,” he said, insisting that rice, maize and poultry for the programme be sourced locally.
He highlighted ongoing scientific advancements, including the development of a new weevil-resistant cowpea variety that enables longer storage and reduces post-harvest losses.
Government, he said, will commercialise improved seed varieties and distribute them to farmers to enhance productivity and preservation.
The President further disclosed plans to introduce a nationwide school agriculture programme that will require all secondary and tertiary institutions to operate school farms to produce vegetables and livestock for their own consumption. A National School Agriculture Coordinator has already been appointed to spearhead the initiative.
Touching on efforts to boost poultry production, he said government is distributing three million improved four-week-old chickens to registered farmers under the ‘Nkukor Nketekete’ initiative.
Beneficiaries will also receive feed to raise the birds until they reach market weight within four to six weeks.
President Mahama described agriculture as a profitable venture that can complement salaried work. “Even as President, I am a farmer.
Everyone can farm teachers, nurses, engineers, civil servants. A 10 or 20-acre oil palm plantation can earn you more than your annual salary,” he said.
He also commended the United States government for removing tariffs on several Ghanaian agricultural exports, including cocoa, avocado, pepper, oranges, onions and yam.
With the new zero-tariff regime, he said Ghana’s exports to the U.S., currently estimated at around $100 million, are expected to rise significantly.
