Ghana nears food self-sufficiency target

The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Bryan Acheampong, has observed that Ghana is steadily advancing towards achieving full food self-sufficiency within the next five years.

Speaking during a brief award ceremony organized for the 2023 National Best Farmer on Wednesday in Accra, Dr. Acheampong emphasised the government’s commitment to meeting the Planting for Food and Jobs target, signaling a significant milestone in Ghana’s agricultural landscape.

“The PFJ targets are on course, and Ghana will be food self-sufficient in staples and poultry, and we are working very hard,” he said. The Agric Minister highlighted the nation’s focus on staple crops and poultry production, underscoring the strategic initiatives undertaken to bolster these sectors.

Confidence

He expressed confidence in the ongoing efforts, describing them as unprecedented in the history of Ghana’s agricultural development.

He said the kind of strides being made in the agricultural sector had never been made, adding that “the private sector alone, as of last year, brought in about eleven million day-old chicks, and this year, the government is bringing in 18 million.”

This, the Agric Minister indicated, would go a long way to boost the sector, and reduce the level of importation. He mentioned that “currently, Ghana is 15% food sufficient, and by the end of this year, we are hoping we will get to 23%, then 45%, and so on.”

Acknowledging the gains made since assuming the role as the sector minister, Dr. Acheampong revealed that within the period of 12 months, 25,000 hectares of irrigation had been added to the existing one.

Complement

Handing over an ultimate prize money of GH¢1million to Madam Charity Akortia, the National Best Farmer awardee, the Managing Director of the ADB, Alhaji Alhassan Yakubu-Tali, said the award would complement the personal investment of the best farmer.

He noted that “as we have done in the past, the bank will provide Charity Akortia with a dedicated Relationship Manager to assist in ensuring the proper utilization of the funds.”

The ADB, he said, takes great pride in being the headline sponsor of the National Best Farmers Day since 2001, and that its long-standing sponsorship of the Welcome Cocktail, the Farmers’ Forum, and the Ultimate Prize form part of the bank’s unwavering commitment to encouraging the country’s gallant farmers and fishers to grow more, feed more, and create more wealth for themselves and the nation.

Commitment

For her part, Charity Akortia thanked the bank and the government for their support and commitment to agriculture in the country.

“My primary aim for contesting for the National Farmers award was to have the enabling platform to use my good self as an example to motivate and mentor the Ghanaian youth especially, young women, those with tertiary education, among whom unemployment is very high, to consider agriculture as a profit-making venture,” she said.

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