The funding, he said forms part of the government’s plan to mop-up excess produce, prevent post-harvest losses and build a national food reserve to enhance food security.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Thursday [October 30], Mr Amuah said with the funds, NAFCO has already procured 60,000 bags of rice, 120,000 bags of maize, and 10,000 bags of gari, targeting key staple foods for emergency reserves.
He said the initiative responds to farmers’ appeals for market access amid high yields and limited storage capacity.
“Farmers in the Afram Plains and the northern belt are complaining that there is no market space for them, there is no price, and because there is limited storage, some of them cannot store their produce. So, the potential to have high post-harvest losses was huge.”
Additional funding
Mr Amuah mentioned that the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Mr Eric Opoku is also seeking Cabinet’s approval for an additional GH¢100 million to expand the mop-up exercise.
“I’m happy to announce this afternoon that the Minister for Agriculture has agreed that he would be discussing with Cabinet on an urgent need for additional release of funding of about GH¢100 million again on an incremental basis, so that we’ll be able to mop up the additional surpluses that are on the market,” he said.
“You will recall that the complaints have come from various parts of the country — the coastal and Volta belts, the Ashanti and middle belts, as well as the northern enclave.”
“All these zones have active farming communities, so the government’s intervention is designed to specifically target smallholder and household farmers, ensuring they directly benefit from the opportunity to sell their produce,” he said.
Pricing
He added that NAFCO has further set a floor price of GH¢5 per kilo for paddy rice to protect farmers from unfair pricing by aggregators.
The move, he said, demonstrates the government’s commitment to sustaining farmers’ livelihoods, stabilizing food supply and strengthening national food security systems.
