The Ministry of Food and Agriculture has launched the Feed Ghana program, aiming to end the country’s reliance on tomato imports from Burkina Faso, valued at GH₵4 billion annually.
According to Minister Eric Opoku, the government plans to achieve this through a wide-range agricultural program that includes new irrigation projects, a soya processing plant, and a decentralized buffer stock system.
In an interview with Citi FM on Monday, April 14, 2025, Minister Opoku explained that the program is part of the government’s Agriculture for Economic Transformation Agenda, launched by President John Dramani Mahama.
“Every year, we spend GH₵4 billion on the importation of tomatoes from Burkina Faso. If Burkina Faso is able to produce tomatoes, why is it that we cannot do it here in Ghana, in spite of the fertile soil that we have and all the agricultural endowment?” he questioned.
The government has identified eight regions for the first phase of an irrigation development plan, covering 10,000 hectares of land under the “Irrigation for Wealth Creation” program.
A partnership with a private investor will establish a soya bean processing plant in northern Ghana, with the government holding a 40% stake.
The Ghana National Buffer Stock Company has been restructured, with operations decentralized to regional offices to address post-harvest losses and improve market access.
Additionally, 50 Farmer Service Centres will be established across selected farming districts, with the first centre located in the Atebubu-Amantin District.
The Minister also highlighted the country’s significant spending on onion and pepper imports, estimated at GH₵240 million and GH₵3 billion annually, respectively. A new vegetable production initiative, referred to as the “Eurybia” project, will target these crops.
“We import onion from Niger, which is estimated around GH₵240 million annually. We also spend close to GH₵3 billion on the importation of pepper,” Minister Opoku said. “We have a team in place. The policy document was generated, and we have invited AGRA to be part of it to finalise everything for us.”