The National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) has posted a GH¢91.7 million profit, as improved procurement and stock management strengthen Ghana’s capacity to respond to food supply pressures.
The development was disclosed by the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, at NAFCO’s maiden Annual General Meeting, where he highlighted the company’s improved financial position and growing food reserves.
The stronger balance sheet comes as the government seeks to reduce Ghana’s exposure to food imports and improve the availability of key staples through increased domestic production and strategic stockpiling.
Mr Opoku said NAFCO’s improved stock position had also enabled Ghana to settle a long-standing rice obligation to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
He announced that the company would immediately release 50,000 bags of 50-kilogramme rice to repay rice borrowed from ECOWAS in 2018 to support the School Feeding Programme.
According to the Minister, prudent management and increased procurement had allowed NAFCO to accumulate enough rice to meet the obligation without undermining the country’s food reserve position.
“Today, by the grace of God, and with prudent management of the company, we have been able to procure enough, more than enough, for us to pay back what we borrowed,” he said.
Mr Opoku also pointed to developments in domestic maize production as evidence of improving food availability.
He said Ghana produced about 4.6 million tonnes of maize in 2025, compared with an estimated national maize balance of 3.6 million tonnes.
The development, he said, demonstrated progress in efforts to increase domestic food production and reduce reliance on imported food commodities.
For businesses across the food value chain, increased domestic production could have implications for raw material availability, trading volumes, storage demand and import requirements, particularly if production surpluses can be effectively stored and distributed.
The Minister therefore stressed the importance of NAFCO’s role in managing strategic food reserves and supporting the government’s broader food security agenda.
The GH¢91.7 million profit also marks an important financial development for the state-owned food reserve company, particularly as NAFCO’s ability to maintain strategic stocks depends partly on its financial capacity to procure, store and distribute commodities.
Mr Opoku commended the NAFCO Board and Management for the improved financial performance and urged them to maintain prudent management practices while protecting the company’s long-term viability.
The maiden AGM provided a platform for the company to review its financial and operational performance and outline measures to strengthen its contribution to Ghana’s food security programme.
The latest figures suggest that NAFCO is increasingly being positioned not only as an emergency food reserve institution but also as a key component of Ghana’s strategy to manage domestic food supply, support government programmes and reduce exposure to external food supply shocks.
