Dear Honourable Minister,
Congratulations on your appointment as Ghana’s Minister of Food and Agriculture. I write to you as someone who believes deeply in the boundless potential of Ghana’s agriculture to shape our nation’s destiny. For decades, agriculture has been hailed as the backbone of Ghana’s economy.
Yet, we still import basic food items, our farmers remain impoverished, and post-harvest losses continue to cripple the industry. The paradox is glaring: How can a country so richly blessed with fertile lands, favourable climatic conditions, and industrious people still struggle to feed itself and generate sustainable wealth through agriculture?
We stand at a crossroads where food security, economic prosperity, and national development can either be accelerated through a bold agricultural revolution or stifled by continued neglect and half-hearted interventions.
The Missed Opportunities
While we commend past and present initiatives such as “Planting for Food and Jobs,” we must also admit that without significant structural changes, these programs will be short-lived interventions rather than catalysts for long-term transformation. Our failure to fully commercialize and industrialize agriculture is a self-inflicted wound.
The absence of modern irrigation infrastructure leaves our farmers at the mercy of the rains, turning agriculture into a seasonal gamble rather than a reliable enterprise. The lack of mechanization means that many farmers are stuck with rudimentary tools that limit productivity. And the weak link between agriculture and industrialization ensures that raw materials are exported cheaply while we import processed versions at exorbitant prices.
The Path Forward: A New Agricultural Vision
Honourable Minister, Ghana’s destiny must be defined by a reimagined agricultural sector, one that is efficient, technology-driven, and globally competitive. To achieve this, I urge you to consider the following imperatives:
1. Irrigation as a Priority, Not an Afterthought:
The success stories of Israel and Egypt in desert agriculture should inspire us to take bold steps in building sustainable irrigation systems. We must invest in large-scale irrigation projects to break the dependence on rainfall.
2. Agro-Industrialization and Value Addition Establishing Agro-processing
Instead of exporting raw cocoa, why not create policies that incentivize large-scale local processing? Why should we import tomato paste when Ghanaian farmers produce an abundance of tomatoes?
3. Access to Credit and Market Structures
Many farmers cannot expand due to financial constraints. We need a dedicated fund for the agricultural development bank to offer fair lending rates that support farmers and agribusinesses. Moreover, the government must facilitate guaranteed market structures so that farmers are not left at the mercy of exploitative middlemen.
4. Technology and Research Integration
Agricultural success today is built on innovation. We must strengthen agricultural research institutions and link their findings directly to farmers. Precision farming, drought-resistant crops, and smart mechanization should not be foreign concepts in Ghanaian agriculture.
5. Attracting the Youth into Agriculture
The perception that agriculture is for the old and uneducated must be shattered. By modernizing the sector, we can make farming an attractive and profitable career path for young Ghanaians. Digital platforms that connect farmers to markets, drone technology for monitoring farms, and AI-driven solutions must be actively encouraged.
6. State-Led Agricultural Enterprises
Instead of solely encouraging individuals to engage in agriculture, the state must take the lead by establishing state farms in every region, producing staple food crops under government management and supervision. Your statement during your vetting about reviving school farms is commendable, and I urge you to take it further by encouraging other state agencies to operate their own farms.
• The Ghana Armed Forces can establish farms to supply food for military personnel and barracks, reducing dependency on external suppliers.
• The Ghana Prisons Service can develop prison farms to provide food for inmates and generate revenue by selling surplus produce.
• The Ghana Police Service can run farms to support feeding programs for officers in training academies and barracks.
• The Ghana Education Service (GES) can mandate every senior high school and tertiary institution to operate a farm, supplying food for their students while providing practical agricultural training.
• The Ghana Health Service (GHS) can cultivate medicinal plants and nutritional crops to improve the diet of patients and hospital staff.
• The National Service Scheme (NSS) can scale up its agricultural initiatives, allowing service personnel to gain hands-on farming experience while contributing to national food production.
• Local Government (MMDAs) can create community farms that enhance food security and generate employment at the district level.
• The Ghana National Fire Service and Ghana Immigration Service can also establish farms to provide food for their personnel stationed across the country.
• COCOBOD and other agricultural agencies can set up model farms to train farmers in best practices while ensuring a steady supply of quality raw materials for local processing.
These state-led farms will not only boost food production but also create employment, reduce government food expenditure, and ensure Ghana’s food security.
A Call to Action
Honourable Minister, Ghana’s fate is intertwined with agriculture. If we get it right, we will not only achieve food security but also build a robust economy that generates jobs, reduces poverty, and positions Ghana as a leader in agribusiness within Africa and beyond. If we get it wrong, we will continue down the path of dependency, importing what we should be exporting and perpetuating economic struggles for millions of Ghanaians.
The time to act is now. Let us be bold, visionary, and uncompromising in our pursuit of an agricultural revolution that truly defines Ghana’s destiny.
I wish you well, Honourable Minister. I pray you succeed.
Meanwhile, watch as 72-year-old Kenyan Kwame Donkor is shockingly discovered on NSS payroll
