Ghana’s Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has urged stakeholders to move away from subsistence farming towards a competitive, climate-resilient and export-driven agri-food economy.
Speaking at the opening of the 2025 Annual Conference of the Ghana Association of Agricultural Economists (GAAE) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, on Thursday, Mr Opoku said modernising the sector was no longer optional but essential to secure food supplies, create jobs and cut reliance on imports.
The three-day event, themed “Transforming Agri-Food Systems in Developing Economies through Sustainable Agribusiness Development,” brought together researchers, policymakers and agribusiness stakeholders.
The Minister described the theme as timely, citing increasing food import bills, farmer vulnerability to climate shocks and rising demand for sustainable food systems.
“Agriculture contributes around 20 per cent to Ghana’s GDP and employs nearly a third of the workforce, yet productivity challenges, post-harvest losses and import dependency persist,” Mr Opoku said.
He added that Ghana’s annual food import bill now exceeds US$3 billion, largely driven by the purchase of rice, poultry and processed foods.
“The challenge before us is not just to produce more food, but to transform our entire agri-food system to make it profitable, inclusive and environmentally sustainable,” he stated.
At the same time, the Minister pointed to significant economic potential, noting that Africa’s agribusiness market is projected to surpass US$1 trillion by 2030.
To position Ghana competitively, he outlined two flagship policies: the Feed Ghana Policy and the 24-Hour Economy initiative.
The Feed Ghana Policy will increase domestic production through improved seeds, expanded irrigation, mechanisation, and strengthened agro-processing to reduce waste and boost yields.
Meanwhile, the 24-Hour Economy initiative is designed to drive round-the-clock operations in food logistics, cold storage and processing, minimising delays, improving efficiency and creating jobs for young people in the agricultural value chain.
Mr Opoku also stressed the importance of research partnerships, urging agricultural economists and academic institutions to support policy with data-driven insights and market-focused innovation.
His address also focused heavily on youth and technology, pointing to opportunities in digital agriculture, smart farming tools and agribusiness entrepreneurship.
“Technology and young talent are no longer add-ons, they are central to the future of Ghana’s agricultural transformation,” he said.
The Minister raised alarms about climate stressors, including droughts, erratic rainfall and soil degradation, which he said continue to undermine productivity.
In response, he noted that government interventions were prioritising climate-smart agriculture, sustainable land management, water efficiency and soil restoration to strengthen resilience and safeguard food production.
Source: Ghanaian Times
Image Credit: AgriWatchGH
