Author: Sefakor

The Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, John Dumelo, has revealed plans to curb food gluts as the government, through the Ghana Buffer Stock Company, has registered 45 Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) to buy grains directly from farmers at guaranteed minimum prices. The intervention is targeting surpluses of key staples such as rice, maize, and soya, while serving as a safe nest for farmers’ incomes from market fluctuations. Mr Dumelo revealed this on Thursday, June 12, while responding to an urgent question from the Member of Parliament for Ketu North, Eric Edem Agbana. The question focused on the government’s strategy…

The Ministry for Fisheries and Aquaculture has announced plans to utilise abandoned clay and quarry pits by converting them into fish farms. The sector Minister, Emelia Arthur, while launching the project in the Shama Municipality of the Western Region, said this innovation will serve as a source of livelihoods for the locals. Known as the Komfueku-Shama Aquaculture Project, it is being piloted in partnership with R&B Farms. It aims to promote sustainable fisheries by converting abandoned and underutilised lands into productive fish farms, thereby boosting food production, creating jobs, generating income, and strengthening local communities. While addressing a gathering in…

Rich-healthy indigenous foods that are no longer common on the grocery list of Ghanaians are highly sought after in the international market, says the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The CSIR’s Director in charge of Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute at Bunso in the Eastern Region, Dr Daniel Ashie Kotey, in a radio interview with Accra-based Joy FM and reported by the Graphic Online on Tuesday, June 9, 2026 said, “the West is looking for these, our indigenous stuff, which are way healthier, and they are pricing them higher,” he said. He noted that many traditional crop varieties…

President John Dramani Mahama has secured a deal with Belarus for the supply of 1,840 pieces of agricultural equipment to equip a nationwide network of farmers service centres as part of the Feed Ghana Program aimed at transforming access to mechanised farming. The centres are expected to provide shared machinery and technical support to farmers, reducing costs and increasing efficiency in agricultural production. Speaking at the Belarus-Ghana Business Forum in Minsk, President Mahama said the agreement reflects a shift from diplomacy to practical economic collaboration. “We are gathered here not merely to exchange ideas but to create opportunities, to forge…

Residents of Yaara, a farming community in the Kintampo North Municipality of the Bono East Region understand the value of climate protection and refused to lift a longstanding ban on charcoal production despite pressure from surrounding communities, where charcoal burning remains a major source of income. Across Ghana, charcoal production is one of the leading causes of deforestation and across sub-Saharan Africa. Even though it is a source of income for many rural households, environmental experts warn that unsustainable tree felling results in forest degradation, reduced rainfall, soil erosion and exposure to climate vulnerability. Yaara’s firm stance portrays a rare…

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Ofoase Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has stirred conversations online after saying a Dr Bawumia-led administration will prioritize the protection of cocoa farmers for better growth. According to him, the flagbearer of the party, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has already begun with measures that will resolve the crisis cocoa farmers are going through. “Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has started the process of preparing solutions to the cocoa crisis,” part of a post he made on Facebook read. Mr. Oppong Nkrumah’s comments came following the Minority Caucus Select Committee’s tour of cocoa-growing areas and engaged…

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has disputed claims by the Ministry of Finance that it has released GH¢1.6 billion, representing 85 percent of MoFA’s 2026 budget allocation. According to MoFA, the figures cited by the Finance Ministry do not correspond with official budget execution documents issued by the same ministry. The Ministry of Finance had earlier announced that it released GH¢1.677 billion to MoFA in 2026, describing the amount as 85 percent of the ministry’s approved budget for Goods and Services and Capital Expenditure (CAPEX). This disclosure was made by the Deputy Minister for Finance, Thomas Nyarko Ampem,…

The push for Ghana to become self-sufficient in rice production has gained fresh momentum this week after the West Africa Rice Investment Roundtable in Accra from June 2–3. During the event, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku was applauded for announcing the government’s policy to tie rice import permits to local investment to help boost local rice consumption. But the Executive Director of Ghana Rice Federation, Kofi Akuamoah Boateng Baidoo observes that the agenda is beyond sloganeering and can only end importation of the staple with high quality harvests that meet consumer taste. He said even though increasing…

For a long time, agriculture has been limited to farming and it has been the reason unemployment has become an albatross, says the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku. It is against this background that the government in collaboration with the World Bank Group and other development partners launched a project to transform agriculture into agribusiness and create employment opportunities for the youth. “We have the enormous potential to develop the entire chain to generate jobs for the youth, Mr. Opoku told the press during the launch of the AgriConnect Compact in Accra. Designed to strengthen food security ,…

Ghana’s cocoa sector is intensifying collaboration efforts ahead of the 26th December, 2026 rollout of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), a major policy expected to reshape global commodity trade and sustainability standards. At a one-day stakeholder engagement held in Accra, participants drawn from government institutions, the private sector, civil society organisations, development partners and cocoa farmers assessed progress made and outlined strategies to ensure a smooth implementation of the new regulation. Discussions at the meeting highlighted the traceability systems being established across the cocoa value chain to meet EUDR requirements. Stakeholders emphasised the shared responsibility of all actors in…