Gov’t to Irrigate 100,000 Hectares of Farmland under Feed Ghana Initiative – Agric Minister

The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Eric Opoku, says government will place more than 100,000 hectares of farmland under irrigation by the end of next year as part of efforts to boost food production under the Feed Ghana Programme.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the Africa Food System Forum, Mr Opoku said irrigation was critical to ensuring food security and supporting agribusinesses.

“By the close of next year, we’ll have a lot of irrigation infrastructure in place. Without irrigation, we cannot sustain the businesses. With 100,000 hectares of land under irrigation, we can produce enough to feed our people as well as supply industries,” he stated.

The minister cited a recent World Bank report which observed that although Africa produces large volumes of food, hunger remains widespread due to trade barriers. He said African countries must take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), headquartered in Ghana, to expand agricultural trade and create a unified market.

On farmer empowerment, Mr Opoku said government was encouraging producers to form cooperatives in order to enjoy economies of scale and strengthen their voice in negotiations.

“We started the campaign two months ago and have formed over 65,000 cooperatives in Ghana, with 45 per cent made up of women and 35 per cent youth. Through cooperatives, farmers can negotiate input costs, secure better prices for their produce, and lobby government for support,” he explained.

He added that the ministry is also promoting mass participation in agriculture by encouraging households to establish backyard gardens, schools to cultivate farms to support the school feeding programme, and churches to engage in food production.

To address post-harvest losses, Mr Opoku said government was rehabilitating warehouses and strengthening the National Food Buffer Stock Company to buy surplus produce, store it, and release it during lean seasons to stabilize prices.

Additionally, he disclosed that Farmer Service Centres being established nationwide would deploy digital tools to improve agricultural planning and monitoring.

This system, he noted, would allow authorities to track farmer cooperatives and commodities, helping to determine where processing plants should be located.

Mr Opoku stressed that the Feed Ghana initiative is not only aimed at improving food security but also creating sustainable jobs, particularly for the youth.