The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has outlined several agricultural policies it intends to implement if elected in December.
Ghana’s agriculture sector currently faces significant challenges, including low production, food losses, and limited access to credit and markets. These issues, along with insufficient investment in modernization and the value chain, have worsened food insecurity and inflation. Climate change and environmental degradation, exacerbated by illegal mining, have further strained the sector.
In its manifesto, the NDC plans to address these issues with its Agriculture for Economic Transformation Agenda (AETA), which aims to modernize agriculture, promote agribusiness, reduce food inflation, ensure food security, boost exports, and create sustainable jobs.
Key initiatives include promoting ‘SMART’ agriculture to boost local food production through farmer service centers, Farm Banks for land and irrigation access, and youth engagement in farming. The NDC will enhance vegetable production with greenhouses and irrigation, revitalize the poultry industry, and focus on livestock development for meat and dairy production.
Cocoa farmers will benefit from free fertilizer distribution, improved seedlings, and a comprehensive support system, including the reintroduction of the Cocoa Price Stabilization Fund, bonuses, and a pension scheme. The party also plans to produce 100,000 tons of cotton in the northern regions and promote strategic crops like cashew, palm, and rubber in agro-industrial zones.
The NDC says it will also establish agro-production enclaves with necessary infrastructure and refocus the Exim Bank to support farmers through cooperatives and community banks, promoting export-driven agricultural growth. The fertilizer subsidy program will be reintroduced to boost food production, lower farming costs, and stabilize prices.
