Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku says government is in talks with ECOWAS and the World Food Programme as part of additional measures to reduce the glut of grains and cereals on the market.
Taking his turn to address journalists at the Government Accountability Series at the Presidency, Mr. Opoku, stated that he will be meeting with ECOWAS officials to decide on the way forward.
According to him, the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) is also going through procurement processes to buy the surplus after an initial GHS100 million allocated for the mop-up was exhausted within three days.
Meanwhile, the Minister who doubles as MP for Asunafu South the government is taking strategic steps to end huge volumes of poultry importation into the country.
He said by 2029, Ghana will be self-sufficient in poultry and also export to external markets. “By 2029, Ghana will be self-sufficient in poultry and also export to external markets,” he stated.
Mr. Opoku highlighted the government’s roadmap for agricultural self-sufficiency, known as the Feed Ghana document.
“Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, we are not operating in a vacuum. We are being guided by a document which captures all our programs… In 2025, our self-sufficiency level is 12 percent. Now we targeted 2026, we said we’ll move it to 25 percent. 2027, we’ll move it to 48 percent. 2028, we’ll move it to 76 percent. And in 2029, Ghana will have 104 percent.”
He added that strong private sector participation and enthusiasm this year could allow Ghana to exceed its 2026 target.
“So at the end of the day, we’ll use the figures to compare with our targets, to see where we got more than our target and where we fell short. Clearly, we envision that latest by 2029, Ghana will be self-sufficient in poultry production.”
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
