News:
July 10, 2026
The government has unveiled an ambitious national strategy to fundamentally reshape Ghana’s agricultural economy by creating an integrated network of agro-processing facilities, Minister for Food and Agriculture Eric Opoku has announced. Appearing before Parliament’s Assurance Committee on Thursday, July 9, Mr Opoku detailed the government’s “Feed the Industry” programme, a key sub-initiative under the flagship Feed Ghana Programme. He stated that the two complementary initiatives are designed to increase food production, create jobs, and strengthen national food security by linking farmers directly to agro-processing industries.
“In the NDC Manifesto, we made a firm promise to introduce a programme called Feed Ghana, and then under that programme, we have a sub-programme called Feed the Industry. The two together should lead to increased food production, job creation, and food security for our nation,” Mr Opoku told the committee.
Moving Beyond “Anticipatory Demand”
The Minister explained that the ministry is moving away from a system where farmers produce without guaranteed buyers. He noted that the new strategy will ensure production is based on existing industrial demand, eliminating the uncertainty that has long plagued the sector. “Every producer produces in anticipation of demand. If farmers continue to produce under what we call anticipatory demand, when things go awry, they won’t know what to do,” he said. “We are establishing an integrated system under which farmers will produce for specific industrial processes.”
Poultry Processing Centre at Bechem Nearly 50% Complete. The poultry sector is the first to benefit from the initiative through the government’s “Nkoko Nkitinkiti” programme, under which day-old chicks and other inputs are being distributed to farmers to boost local production. To complement this increased production, the government is constructing a poultry processing centre at Bechem to absorb farmers’ output.
“When we started the distribution of the Nkoko Nkitinkiti, the day-old chicks, the pullers, and the rest of them to the farmers, we anticipated that the distribution…would lead to an increase in production,” Mr Opoku said. “Now, when people produce, where do they sell? So, we decided to establish a poultry processing centre at Bechem so that when the farmers produce, the processing sector will be their uptake point, creating a ready market for them, increasing job opportunities, and then they will package them nicely and distribute them across the country and even beyond the country.” He revealed that construction of the processing facility is progressing steadily. “As we speak, that project…is almost 50% complete. We have the assurance of the contractor that, by December at the latest, the project will be completed and commissioned for the benefit of our people.”
Value Addition Creates Jobs
Mr Opoku stressed that value addition creates significantly more employment than primary farming alone. “Studies have shown that one job created in primary agriculture can lead to three or four additional jobs created in the processing space,” he said. “So, if you can do this, you move agriculture from the level of just farming for survival to agriculture as an enterprise. That is what the Feed the Industry programme is all about.”
Soy Processing Plant and Tomato Initiatives
The Minister further announced that the government, in collaboration with a private investor, is establishing a soy processing plant in Tamale to create a reliable market for soybean farmers. “As we speak, we have placed the advert for the procurement of the equipment,” he said. “As soon as the equipment is installed, the factory will then have a buy-back arrangement with the farmers… They will give them their inputs.” On tomato production, Mr Opoku said the ministry is working with private sector partners, including Farm Mates, to boost production and reduce reliance on imports from Burkina Faso. He revealed that 500 hectares of irrigation land have been allocated for tomato production, with farmers receiving seeds and organic fertilisers. The Minister projected that Ghana will experience a tomato glut within the next three to four months as these measures take effect.
“We are anticipating a glut of tomatoes in the coming months and are thinking about how we can get processors to off-take from our farmers. We are doing a lot of solar-powered boreholes across the country,” he said.
Rehabilitating Abandoned Pack Houses
Mr Opoku also disclosed that the ministry has rehabilitated seven of 11 abandoned pack houses in the northern enclave, built by donor partners years ago, and is now working with private entities and farmer cooperatives to utilise them for tomato production. The Feed the Industry programme represents a decisive departure from the traditional agricultural model, aiming to establish a modern value chain capable of transforming farming into a profitable commercial venture rather than merely a means of subsistence.
Ghanamps.com