Author: Sefakor

The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has begun stakeholder consultations with farmer groups and cocoa marketers ahead of the 2026/27 cocoa season. This forms part of activities by the regulator to firm up key policy and operational decisions. The engagements, led by Deputy Chief Executives, Dr James Kofi Kutsuati and Dr Francis Baah, brought together leaders of farmer groups and executives of the Chamber of Cocoa Marketers to discuss critical issues shaping the upcoming season. Deliberations centred on producer pricing and the enforcement of the policy requiring that farmers receive not less than 70% of the achieved gross Free-On-Board (FOB) price.…

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) says a $100 million investment in Ghana’s Volta Ecological Zone has poultry production high on its agenda, aligning with the country’s plans to cut imports and boost domestic food production. Speaking during the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, IFC Managing Director Makhtar Diop described poultry as a major opportunity for Ghana to achieve self-sufficiency and create jobs. “Ghana is still on the poultry side, importing a lot of poultry. There is no reason why Ghana cannot, on this side, be self-sufficient,” he said. The investment in the Volta Ecological Zone is…

A major structural shift from rain-fed farming to irrigation-based production is being introduced by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), with government commitment to rehabilitate all existing irrigation infrastructure in the Volta Region and deploy new mobile irrigation systems to smallholder farmers under the Ghana Tomato Self-Sufficiency Initiative (GHATSI). The announcement was made by the sector Minister, Eric Opoku at Anloga on September 15, in an address that outlined a broad reform package covering irrigation, seed systems, water management and input subsidies. “A full transition, from rainfed agriculture to irrigation agriculture,” the Minister declared, positioning irrigation expansion as central…

To cut reliance on the external market to meet its seed demands, government is intensifying efforts to transform Ghana’s vegetable seed system through a strengthened partnership with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Speaking at the unveiling of the Ghana Tomato Self-sufficiency Initiative (GHATSI) in Anloga on September 15, the Commodity Lead for Vegetables at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Esther Agyekum, outlined that the country’s National Production Strategy, 2026–2030, is targeting a significant shift in the tomato value chain to reduce import dependence while increasing the use of locally produced tomatoes by processors from seven…

Ghana-based food processing companies in pepper processing have come under scrutiny over their sourcing preferences after revelations that the products are made using imported raw materials rather than locally grown chilli peppers. According to a farmer and social impact industrialist, Mark Oforiquaye, one of the companies positions its product as one of the hottest pepper powders on the Ghanaian market, emphasising its pungency level measured in Scoville Heat Units (SHU)—the global standard used to determine chilli heat intensity. Despite the “Made in Ghana” label on its packaging, the firm allegedly imports dried chillies from India to meet its production specifications.…

Expected to take 18 months to complete, Sadio Mané dug the ground and laid a foundation stone on Saturday, Sept. 19, for an agro-industrial park at Bambali, the village in southern Senegal where he was born. The SM10 Agro he is fully funding himself, will cost 11.7 billion CFA francs, about $20 million. The project covers 500 hectares of orchards, four processing areas and capacity to handle 8,500 tonnes a year, with more than 1,000 direct jobs at startup. The industrial hub will also have a training centre and a research operation sitting alongside the factories. Mangoes Are Central  Central…

Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, John Dumelo, has responded to calls from tomato farmers in Anloga, Volta Region, for buyers by purchasing 100 baskets for school feeding caterers in his constituency, Ayawaso West Wuogon, Greater Accra Region. After seeing a viral video online, the Deputy Minister joined the farmers to harvest, after which he joined the loading team to pack them in a truck. He was also seen in the company of a group of women believed to be the caterers at a location in Accra to pick up the baskets of tomatoes. The glut in Anloga, a tomato…

As Ghana pushes to increase tomato production to gain self-sufficiency, the Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana is raising concerns about how that can be achieved, warning that the already-existing supply gap could reach 400,000 metric tonnes when post-harvest losses are factored in. The Chamber says producing an additional 100,000 tonnes under the Ghana Tomato Self-Sufficiency Initiative (GHATSI) launched in Anloga in the Volta Region on September 15 will not be sufficient to close the gap. In an interview with Citi Business, the Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana, Anthony Morrison, says the annual tomato demand is estimated at…

The Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, has disclosed the government’s commitment to invest $200 million to expand tree crop production in Ghana, with special focus on the cashew industry as a major beneficiary. She made the disclosure on Thursday, September 17, 2026, at the closing gala dinner of the 2026 African Cashew Alliance Annual Cashew Conference and Expo. Ofosu-Adjare says the investment will scale up tree crop production and strengthen Ghana’s value chain in the areas where the cashew industry has significant potential. “The government of Ghana is committing approximately $200 million to tree crop production, of…

Employing about one-third of Ghana’s total workforce, the agriculture sector is a major source of livelihood for families in mining communities. However, the rising cost of farm inputs, weed management difficulties, climate change and limited access to technical support continue to pose serious challenges to farmers. In view of the persistent challenges, a mining company, Asanko Gold Ghana Limited, has launched Phase Two of its Community Agricultural Support Program (CASP). In an address during the launch, the company’s General Manager, Justice Fenteng, said the 2nd phase has been structured to respond to the practical needs of farmers. He said this…