Mr Eric Opoku, Minister of Food and Agriculture, has urged farmers to form cooperatives to facilitate coordination, access to support and sustainability under the Feed Ghana Programme.
He said when the farmers were organised into groups it would help make government interventions impactful.
Mr Opoku made the call during a press conference in Accra to update farmers and the public on the progress made and how Farmer Based Organisations (FBOs) and cooperatives should position themselves for the roll-out of the Feed Ghana Flagship Programme.
The ‘Feed Ghana Programme’ is the flagship initiative of the broader Agriculture for Economic Transformation Agenda (AETA) – aimed at modernizing agriculture, create jobs, reduce food inflation, and foster agro-industrial development.
It is prioritising key agricultural commodities—such as maize, rice, and cocoa—as well as implementing targeted interventions to promote smart farming practices across the country.
The Feed Ghana Flagship Programme, a central pillar of the national agenda for food self-sufficiency, agribusiness development, and the realisation of the 24-Hour Economy envisioned by President John Dramani Mahama.
Mr Opoku said cooperatives were platforms that would enable farmers, especially smallholders and vulnerable groups to enjoy the benefits of scale, collective bargaining, and structured engagement with government and private sector players.
“Forming cooperatives is not just an administrative requirement; it is a strategic pathway to transformation… I am therefore calling on all farmers, especially smallholder farmers, women, youth, and persons with disabilities, to take this opportunity seriously,” he stated.
He advised them to organise themselves into farmer-based organisations and cooperatives in line with their crops, livestock, or value chain activities.
The Minister said among other things, cooperatives promoted knowledge sharing and adoption of best practices, enable bulk purchasing of inputs at lower costs and enhance capacity to attract donor and Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) support.
Mr Opoku assured the farmers of the district agricultural offices commitment to assist them with the process of registration, governance training, and linkage to support services.
The Ministry, he said, would soon roll out sensitisation campaigns in all regions, engage traditional authorities, and work closely with Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to ensure the smooth formation and formalisation of farmer cooperatives across the country.
The Feed Ghana Programme is designed to directly support organised groups of farmers to access Farmer Service Centres (FSCs), banking and financial services and access to credit and investment.
The rest are to provide training and capacity building, market linkages and price negotiation, policy advocacy and inclusion, and input subsidies and strategic reserves.
By Priscilla Oye Ofori, GNA