Speaking at the 41st National Farmers Day celebration in Ho, the President stressed that no country could assure food security without investing in mechanisms that support continuous, not seasonal, farming.
“We can only guarantee food security if we put in place mechanisms that support all-year-round agriculture,” he said. “That is why we are taking irrigation seriously—both in areas close to water bodies and in areas where underground water can be accessed.”
President Mahama announced that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture would soon deploy solar-powered irrigation pumps and boreholes, even for farmers cultivating as little as 10 acres. This, he noted, would eliminate dependence on the national grid and guarantee uninterrupted cultivation.
“With year-round irrigation, a farmer can plant and harvest up to three times a year. Ten acres of irrigated land can produce the same yield as 40 acres of rain-fed land,” he explained.
The President paid glowing tribute to women in agriculture—particularly members of the Ghana Association of Female Agricultural and Fish Farming Award Winners (GAFAFAW)—describing them as indispensable to the nation’s agricultural transformation.
He expressed concern about the persistent challenge of high lending rates, stressing that agriculture could not thrive under such conditions.
“Credit for agriculture must be below 10 per cent. At the current rates, farmers end up working for banks instead of themselves,” he said, adding that government remained committed to delivering single-digit credit for the sector.
President Mahama also criticised the continued importation of food for the School Feeding Programme (SFP) despite abundant local produce.
“It is unacceptable that rice from Vietnam is being used to feed our schoolchildren when our farmers still have stock from last year,” he said, reiterating his directive that rice, maize, and poultry used under the SFP must be locally sourced.
He highlighted the work of Ghanaian scientists who had developed a weevil-resistant cowpea variety, which could be stored for long periods without spoilage. This breakthrough, he noted, would be commercialised and made available to farmers to boost yields and reduce post-harvest losses.
The President further announced plans for a national school agriculture programme, which would require all secondary and tertiary institutions to establish school farms to produce vegetables and livestock for their own consumption. A National School Agriculture Coordinator has already been appointed to lead the initiative.
Touching on ongoing livestock interventions, he said government was distributing three million improved four-week-old chickens to registered farmers under the ‘Nkoko Nkitenkite’ initiative. Beneficiaries also receive feed to raise the birds to market size in four to six weeks.
He underscored the profitability of agriculture, encouraging citizens—including professionals in formal employment—to consider farming as a complementary income stream.
“Even as President, I am a farmer. Teachers, nurses, engineers, and civil servants can all farm. A 10 or 20-acre oil palm plantation can earn you more than your annual salary,” he said.
President Mahama also commended the U.S. government for removing tariffs on several Ghanaian agricultural products, including cocoa, avocado, pepper, oranges, onions, and yam. He said the new policy would allow Ghana’s agricultural exports to the United States—now around US$100 million—to grow significantly, and urged farmers to take advantage of the expanded market.
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