Invest in farming, secure Ghana’s food future -Mahama tells Ghanaians

President Mahama’s address at the 41st National Farmers‘ Day was dominated by a sweeping agricultural transformation agenda built around the theme

“Feed Ghana, Eat Ghana, Secure the Future,” setting out a comprehensive blueprint to reduce the nearly $3 billion annual food import bill, secure food sovereignty and industrialise rural Ghana.

Delivering the speech, the President said the new “Feed Ghana” programme is central to the government’s broader

Agriculture for Economic Transformation agenda, which seeks to modernise farming through science, infrastructure and technology.

He described Ghana’s current food import levels as “neither sustainable nor acceptable,” insisting that the country must become self-sufficient.

He announced that access to agricultural credit will be overhauled, stressing that farmers cannot thrive when interest rates make them “work for the bank not for themselves.”

He committed the government to bringing agricultural financing to a single-digit rate below 10 percent.

The President linked these interventions to a sharp drop in food inflation, which fell from 28.3 percent in January 2025 to 9.5 percent by October 2025.

The decline follows the government’s distribution of 50,000 metric tons of fertiliser and 3,000 metric tons of hybrid seeds to farmers and institutions.

A firm directive was issued requiring all state-funded programmes,including the School Feeding Programme and security agencies,to source key staples such as rice, maize and poultry locally.

He criticised the practice of importing rice from Vietnam for school meals while “Ghanaian farmers are sitting with rice inventories from last year.”

To support market absorption, the government has released 100 million Ghana cedis to the National Buffer Foods Company, with an additional 200 million cedis approved for 2026.

The address placed heavy emphasis on irrigation expansion. The Ministry of Agriculture is distributing solar water pumps and drilling boreholes to enable year-round cultivation, including areas far from major water bodies.

He referenced ongoing work on 3,520 hectares under the Irrigation for Wealth Creation scheme and progress on 3,220 hectares of infrastructure in the Afram Plains Economic Enclave.

He also cited new scientific advances, including a weevil-resistant cowpea variety developed by local research institutions.

Targeted programmes featured prominently. The “Enkonam Nketenkete” household poultry initiative is distributing three million chickens nationwide, with over 13,000 farmers in 12 districts already receiving 720,000 four-week-old, vaccinated birds alongside feed sufficient for 4-6 weeks until market-ready.

A national School Agriculture Programme is expected to mandate school farms in all secondary and tertiary institutions, supervised by a newly appointed National School Agriculture Coordinator.

President Mahama said government assistance would be channelled strictly through cooperatives, not individuals. Nearly 70,000 cooperatives, representing about 710,000 farmers, have been registered.

To strengthen mechanisation, 5,500 machines—including tractors, harvesters and rice mills,are being procured for 50 new Farmers Service Centres.

The Volta Region, host of this year’s celebration, received a cluster of infrastructure commitments.

He highlighted major works under the Big Push agenda, with a substantial share of national road projects located in the region and expected to be completed within 18 months.

Work has begun on the Ho-Denu-Aflao road, where four contractors are operating simultaneously to accelerate delivery ahead of the 24-month schedule.

The stalled Phase 3 expansion of the Adidom water system will resume, extending pipelines to Adaklu and Asogli. Land has also been secured for the construction of a port at Aflao.

The President urged Ghanaians, including teachers, nurses and civil servants, to see agriculture as a viable income source, citing the example of a trained nurse who earned over 100,000 cedis from a poultry venture while awaiting posting.

“Agriculture is profitable and agriculture brings good incomes,” he said, adding, “even as President, I am a farmer.”

He also highlighted international trade opportunities following the United States‘ removal of tariffs on Ghanaian agricultural exports, including cocoa, avocado, oranges, pepper, onions and yams, creating a zero-tariff pathway to expand the current $100 million trade volume.

The President acknowledged the significant challenges confronting farmers, from climate variability and market instability to financing limitations and environmental degradation driven by illegal mining.

But he maintained that the country’s future stability, prosperity and security are tied directly to a transformed agricultural sector.