The Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry has engaged top executives and stakeholders across Ghana’s agribusiness value chain to shape a final policy aimed at boosting sector growth, competitiveness, and sustainability.
The high-level roundtable brought together CEOs and representatives from rice, poultry, pineapple, maize, horticulture, processing, export, banking, and input supply to discuss pressing challenges and propose solutions to strengthen the sector.
Opening the meeting, the Minister emphasized the strategic role of agribusiness in Ghana’s industrialization agenda, linking the sector to job creation, food security, and economic transformation under President John Dramani Mahama’s vision.
Industry participants raised concerns about unfair competition from imported products benefiting from tax holidays, high electricity costs, limited access to affordable financing, weak enforcement of import licensing, farmland insecurity due to sand winning, and inconsistent policy implementation. Several also highlighted the negative impact of unregulated imports on local production, noting that surges in cheaper imported rice, poultry, soya, and maize often leave domestic farmers with unsold produce and reduced incentives to invest.
Addressing these concerns, the Minister highlighted the shared responsibility between government and industry, particularly on financing. “If we want cheaper financing, we must make it affordable by paying back what we borrow. When banks see agribusiness as a sector that repays loans, they will lend more and at better rates,” she said.
She also assured participants that issues surrounding import licensing, infrastructure, energy, and farmland insecurity would be addressed through targeted interventions, improved coordination with relevant ministries, and support for alternative energy solutions such as solar power.
The Ministry plans to strengthen linkages between farmers and industry through aggregation, commercial contracts, and coordinated production planning to stabilize prices, prevent gluts, and protect farmer livelihoods.The roundtable concluded with a commitment to sustained dialogue as the Ministry finalizes the Agribusiness Policy for Cabinet consideration, reinforcing agribusiness as a cornerstone of Ghana’s industrial growth.
