Gov’t to roll out agricultural reforms to cut food imports – Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has announced an ambitious plan to transform Ghana’s agriculture sector, reduce food imports, and strengthen the economy.

Delivering the State of the Nation Address to the 9th Parliament, President Mahama stated that “Ghana has fertile lands, abundant water, and human resources. Yet, our food import bill continues to soar, reaching alarming levels of over US$2 billion annually.”

To combat food insecurity and inflation, the government will implement the Agriculture for Economic Transformation Agenda (AETA), aimed at modernising farming, promoting agribusiness, and boosting exports.

“This initiative will ensure food security, lower food inflation, and create sustainable jobs,” the president stated.

The President revealed that the Feed Ghana Programme will drive domestic production of rice, maize, and soybeans, while the Vegetable Development Project will focus on tomatoes, onions, and peppers.

According to Mr. Mahama, the Poultry Farm-to-Table Project seeks to cut Ghana’s dependency on imported poultry, which currently stands at 95%, costing the country over US$300 million annually.

“The Nkoko Nkitinkiti Project will support 55,000 households to produce eggs and fresh poultry for the market,” he added.

The administration also plans to bridge agriculture and industry by prioritising value addition. The AgriNext Programme will empower 30,000 young farmers by granting access to land banks and greenhouse agriculture opportunities.

In the fisheries sector, the government announced a crackdown on illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing while expanding subsidised premix fuel supply and improving cold storage infrastructure.

“We remain committed to empowering female fish processors and traders with financial support and capacity-building initiatives,” Mahama affirmed.