Maize production in Ghana has exceeded the country’s total consumption for the first time, while poultry sufficiency has quadrupled since April 2025, cutting the nation’s reliance on food imports. The Feed Ghana Programme (FGP), launched that month, has boosted domestic output of maize, rice, tomatoes and poultry, according to Bright Kwadzo Demordzi, the programme’s National Coordinator.
Demordzi spoke to the Ghana News Agency at the 2nd West Africa Agri Show in Accra, reporting that maize production surpassed 100 per cent of national demand. Rice sufficiency climbed from 42 to 56 per cent, and poultry output rose from 5 to 21 per cent over the past 17 months. Tomato farmers in major production zones also recorded abundant harvests, but challenges remain in securing stable markets for their crops.
“These developments reflect growing farmer confidence and increased investment in agriculture,” Demordzi said. He credited government initiatives including the Nkoko Nkitinkiti poultry programme, subsidised fertiliser and other farm inputs, and improved irrigation infrastructure for the gains. The 2025 national budget allocated GH¢1.5 billion to agriculture-sector initiatives, including the FGP, while the 2026 budget dedicated GH¢245 million to scale up food security and agro-industrial value chains.
Demordzi outlined the next phase of the programme, set to begin in October, which will focus on linking farmers to value-chain players and adopting technologies to improve storage, transportation and processing. “Our farmers are producing in abundance… The next step is to organise the processes to purchase their products so that their profitability levels will be high,” he said. Officials expect these interventions to drive prices down by December.
He also called for stronger cooperation among organisers of the West Africa Agri Show, government agencies, the FGP and value-chain actors across the region. He urged partnerships involving farmers and cooperative leaders through practical demonstrations and exposure to new innovations.
Françoise Sayi, Country Director of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition in Benin, urged that value-chain transformation was necessary beyond just production. “Production alone is not enough. We must store, we must process, we must market and produce food so that nutritious, safe and affordable food reaches every household, every community member,” she said during the event.
Zarreen Akhtar, Director of Azalix Business Media, which organises the West Africa Agri Show, expressed optimism about the region’s agricultural prospects. The 2025 edition attracted participation from more than 25 countries, including companies from Europe, the United States, the Middle East and China. Akhtar said the event brought together major players in agrochemicals, machinery, irrigation and seeds.
“Our job was to help them meet the right partners,” Akhtar said. She added that organisers planned to expand connections across West Africa to support growth in agribusiness markets.
The FGP’s progress on import substitution comes amid Ghana’s broader push to reduce food imports and strengthen domestic agriculture. Despite increased crop yields, Demordzi noted that farmers still face difficulties in marketing their produce effectively. The second phase’s emphasis on value-chain organisation aims to address these gaps and sustain the momentum toward food self-sufficiency.
The programme projects full poultry sufficiency within two to three years, a significant leap from the 5 per cent recorded before the FGP’s launch. Rice output now leaves surplus paddy in the fields, indicating production has outpaced consumption for this staple. Maize has already crossed that threshold, an unprecedented development in Ghana’s recent agricultural history.
The challenges around off-taking tomato harvests suggest that production gains alone do not guarantee stable incomes for farmers. Improved infrastructure and market integration will be tested in the months ahead as the FGP enters its next phase. The coming budget cycle’s GH¢245 million injection aims to support these efforts, but the scale of coordination required among farmers, processors, and traders remains considerable.
The West Africa Agri Show’s gathering of international agribusiness firms offers a platform for expanding these networks. Akhtar’s hope to link more value-chain players across the region signals a push to broaden the FGP’s impact beyond Ghana’s borders.
As maize and poultry production climb, the government’s strategy faces the challenge of converting abundant harvests into reliable profits for farmers. Demordzi’s focus on market organisation and technology adoption will shape whether Ghana can turn these gains into lasting food security.
According to Joy Online.
