President John Dramani Mahama has stated that his administration will endeavor to increase agricultural productivity and secure national food security by providing finance at single-digit interest rates.
He stated that the current position, in which farmers have access to finance at exorbitant interest rates, means that “virtually will be working for the bank, not for themselves”.
The President made the vow while speaking at the 2025 National Farmers Day event in Ho last Friday, when he also reported a major decline in national food inflation from 28.3% in January to 9.5% as of October this year.
President Mahama presented a comprehensive “Feed Ghana” initiative that aims to modernize agriculture, create jobs, lower food inflation, and promote rural industrialization during his speech on the topic “Feed Ghana, Eat Ghana, Secure the Future.”
He stated that the scheme will create farmer service centers, increase irrigation, improve storage and agro-processing, and create value chains in important commodities and livestock.
“A sustained transformation of the agricultural sector requires well-designed, comprehensive, and sequenced interventions implemented with discipline and commitment. And so the Feed Ghana programme embodies exactly this approach,” President Mahama said.
Since 2019, the Volta Regional capital has hosted the National Farmers Day event again, with Togbe Afede XIV of the Agbogbomefia serving as chairperson.
It included talks, cultural displays, a display of Ghana’s agricultural pride, and a range of foods made with local ingredients.
Politicians, clergy, students, academics, and members of the public were present.
Regarding irrigation, the President stated that the Irrigation for Wealth Creation Initiative was developing 3,520 hectares and that major work was also being done on the Afram Plains enclave.
In order to facilitate year-round farming, he continued, the Ministry of Agriculture would be distributing solar water pumps.
“Even if you have a 10-acre farm, we will drill a borehole for you. We will install a solar water pump. You don’t need electricity. It will supply you with water so that you can do year-round agriculture,” he reiterated.
The government has finalized deals for the purchase of 5,500 agricultural machinery and is setting up 50 Farmer Service Centers nationwide to address post-harvest losses and enhance mechanization.
President Mahama reaffirmed the School Feeding Program’s mandate to purchase food locally.
“It is unacceptable that suppliers of the School Feeding Programme buy rice from Vietnam to feed our schoolchildren, when Ghanaian farmers are sitting with rice inventories from last year,” he declared.
He said that the National School Agriculture Programme, which would involve educational institutions in food production, will soon be introduced and praised local scientists for creating better crop types, such as a new weevil-resistant cowpea.
The President also praised the country’s farmers and fishermen, calling them “the true custodians of Ghana’s food security” who endure hardships.
“Agriculture is profitable and agriculture brings good incomes, and that’s why even as President, I am a farmer,” he concluded, urging all Ghanaians, especially public officials, to start farming. Therefore, anyone can become a farmer.
In his speech, Togbe Afede XIV praised farmers, fishermen, processors, and other value chain participants for their steadfast commitment to guaranteeing food security, producing foreign exchange profits, and maintaining livelihoods throughout the nation.
However, he expressed serious concern about the declining productivity in a number of important agricultural sectors, especially the cocoa, cotton, and coffee industries, which once greatly boosted Ghana’s economy.
He emphasized that these crops have historically been pillars of national development and emphasized the need for more robust state intervention, research investment, and revitalization policies to restore growth and competitiveness.
The government’s $10 billion Big Push Programme was praised by the Agbogbomefia of Asogli, who described it as a transformative program that will greatly improve roads and vital infrastructure in rural farming areas when it is fully executed.
Source: newsthemegh.com