The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Hon. Eric Opoku, has announced a strategic pivot in the ongoing Feed Ghana Programme, emphasizing the critical role of farmer cooperatives in driving successful implementation.
Addressing the media, the minister outlined key updates on the initiative’s rollout, stressing the need for a grassroots, collective approach to agricultural reform under President John Dramani Mahama’s administration.
“We’ve come to the realization that we can only have a successful implementation of our programs if we are able to bring the farmers together in the form of cooperatives”
Hon. Eric Opoku, Minister for Food and Agriculture
Although the Feed Ghana Programme was launched only recently, the Ministry has already commenced active implementation through field-based interventions across the country.
However, insights from engagements with farmers have triggered a significant shift in strategy – organizing farmers into “community and commodity-based cooperatives” to ensure efficient delivery and accountability.
Minister Opoku explained that the cooperatives will be tailored to local communities and specific crop types, enabling targeted support. Citing an example, he mentioned that groups such as the “Boadi Rice Farmers Cooperative” could be formed and registered as formal entities.
“They will be registered. We have interacted with the department of cooperatives, we have a team already established. We will be going round to educate the farmers as to what they should be doing for the formation of the cooperatives and their registration”
Hon. Eric Opoku, Minister for Food and Agriculture
According to him, these cooperatives will serve as operational units that allow for coordinated resource allocation, ensuring the government can directly reach farming communities with inputs like fertilizer.
Cooperatives Setup
The minister further announced the development of a digital system that will collect and store comprehensive data on all registered farmers across the country. This database, he noted, would be crucial to tracking productivity and ensuring the smooth flow of support from Accra to farms in every region.
“By just the press of a button, we will know the number of the farmers in the country, what they are producing, where they are located, and everything that we are doing”
Hon. Eric Opoku, Minister for Food and Agriculture
This innovation, according to the Ministry, will eliminate guesswork, enhance transparency, and increase the responsiveness of government’s interventions. It is expected to play a foundational role in the effective and efficient implementation of the Feed Ghana Programme.
Each cooperative will be granted the right to “elect its leadership every four years,” establishing a democratic structure that ensures constant feedback and interaction between farmers and the Ministry. “They will have leaders who will always be in touch with us.”
This mechanism is aimed at creating a clear line of communication and accountability, with leaders tasked to represent the interests of their members and ensure compliance with national policies.
Agricultural Credit
A major policy breakthrough under the Feed Ghana Programme is the government’s intention to subsidize agricultural insurance for all farmers. The move, which is expected to make insurance widely accessible and affordable, will also make farmers more attractive to lenders.
“Every farmer will have insurance on their farm, because it is going to be affordable,” the minister stated, emphasizing that affordable insurance would act as a guarantee to financial institutions, enabling farmers to access credit facilities.
“Once you have the insurance, access to credit becomes easy because whoever gives you the credit will have the assurance that they will be able to recover whatever money they advance to you”
Hon. Eric Opoku, Minister for Food and Agriculture
In closing, the minister called on the media to assist in rallying public support and awareness for the new cooperative-based model.
“You have the means to disseminate, and we believe that with you, we can chorus this around the country for everybody to be part of it,” he said, urging journalists to use their platforms to help mobilize communities for registration and participation.
With the renewed focus on agricultural transformation, the Feed Ghana Programme is set to become a cornerstone of national development – anchored on data, cooperation, and shared prosperity.
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