Dr. Frank Ackah from the University of Cape Coast has endorsed the government’s unprecedented grain purchase initiative as a critical intervention to stabilize agricultural prices and provide farmers with reliable markets ahead of the approaching 2025 harvest season.
The Senior Lecturer at the Department of Crop Science praised the Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s (MoFA) directive to the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) to purchase surplus grains nationwide, describing the move as an opportunity for strategic price control and market stabilization.
“When the government is able to buy from the farmers and store, he can then sell it to the dealers and control the price,” Dr. Ackah told The High Street Journal, emphasizing the importance of systematic planning and regional estimates for effective implementation.
The academic stressed that successful implementation requires proper planning with estimates of grain quantities the government can purchase from farmers in every region, enabling annual budget allocations that provide farmers with market assurance and investment security.
The intervention comes after the Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana (CAG) warned that more than 100,000 metric tonnes of maize and rice from the 2024 harvest remain unsold, describing the grain sector as “on the brink of crisis”.
The agricultural crisis has left farmers trapped in debt while threatening the survival of local processors. CAG attributed the glut to cheap imports and smuggling that have forced farmers to sell below production costs, undermining Ghana’s domestic value chain.
With the 2025 harvest season rapidly approaching, experts warn the problem could intensify without immediate intervention. The Chamber raised particular concerns about smuggled rice and maize evading duties and quality checks, allegedly through collusion between smugglers and corrupt border officials.
Dr. Ackah’s endorsement reflects broader expert consensus that government intervention represents a proactive measure to support farmers while safeguarding national food security. By purchasing surplus grains and controlling distribution channels, authorities can stabilize markets, protect farmer incomes, and maintain strategic reserves for emergencies.
The University of Cape Coast academic noted that this approach, if properly budgeted and planned with regional specificity, would provide farmers with consistent market assurance while strengthening Ghana’s overall agricultural sector resilience against external shocks.
NAFCO’s expanded role marks the first time the government has undertaken grain purchases on such a comprehensive scale. The company, established in 2010 as a wholly government-owned entity, traditionally focused on emergency food security management and institutional sales to military, schools, and hospitals.
MoFA has assured stakeholders that the initiative will involve coordination with relevant agencies and industry participants to ensure every grain produced finds sustainable and profitable markets, addressing long-standing concerns about post-harvest losses and price volatility.
The timing proves particularly critical as agricultural experts estimate Ghana’s domestic maize production capacity at over 1.6 million metric tonnes annually, yet farmers struggle with market access and fair pricing due to unfair competition from subsidized imports and illegal smuggling operations.
Officials emphasize that beyond immediate crisis management, the grain purchase program aims to restore confidence in domestic production while protecting local processors who have invested significantly in value-addition infrastructure but face unfair competition from duty-free smuggled products.
Industry stakeholders view the government’s commitment to large-scale grain purchases as recognition of agriculture’s strategic importance to national food security and economic stability, particularly as global food prices remain volatile and supply chain disruptions affect international markets.
The intervention aligns with broader agricultural policy objectives to reduce import dependence while strengthening domestic production capacity. Success could provide a model for similar interventions in other agricultural commodities facing market access challenges.
Dr. Ackah’s support reflects academic consensus that strategic government intervention in agricultural markets, when properly implemented with adequate budget allocation and regional coordination, can effectively address market failures while supporting both farmer livelihoods and national food security objectives.
The grain purchase initiative represents a potential turning point for Ghana’s agricultural sector, offering hope to thousands of farmers who have struggled with unpredictable markets while contributing to national economic resilience through improved food security and reduced import dependence.
