By Issah Olegor
President John Dramani Mahama has directed the Minister of Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, to immediately release an additional GH₵200 million to the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) to purchase surplus maize from farmers struggling with a glut across the country.
The directive, announced during the launch of the Nkoko Nkitinkiti Poultry Initiative in Kumasi, aims to stabilize maize prices, prevent post-harvest losses, and reinforce national food security.
The President’s order follows mounting concerns from maize farmers who have faced collapsing market prices due to excess supply and limited storage capacity.
Earlier in October, government had released GH₵100 million to NAFCO to mop up excess produce, but according to the President, the intervention was insufficient to address the scale of the glut.
“Our farmers are worried. There’s a glut on the market, so I asked the Finance Minister to provide GH₵100 million to the National Buffer Stock Company to buy up the surplus maize so that when there’s a shortage later in the year, it can be released,” President Mahama explained.
“They have finished purchasing with the first GH₵100 million, but there’s still a lot of maize on the market and prices remain low,” he said.
The President emphasized that the additional GH₵200 million allocation would enable government to mop up the remaining stock and store it for future use, ensuring that farmers do not incur losses from their hard work.
He also assured the public that similar measures would be implemented for other crops facing similar challenges, including rice.
“It is the same situation with rice. I’ve instructed the Buffer Stock Company to purchase the excess and keep it as well,” he said, adding that the move forms part of a broader food security strategy under his administration to ensure that “no Ghanaian farmer suffers losses simply because they produced in abundance.”
President Mahama also used the occasion to outline additional measures to support the poultry and rice industries, which have been hit by both feed shortages and import competition.
He announced that the Buffer Stock Company would prioritize purchasing local rice to support domestic farmers, while eggs from local poultry producers would be integrated into the national school feeding programme.
The Nkoko Nkitinkiti project is aimed at revitalizing Ghana’s poultry industry and supporting smallholder farmers.
The initiative, part of the government’s broader Food Systems Resilience Programme, seeks to boost food security, create income-generating opportunities, and modernize household-level poultry farming across the country.
Under the initiative, three million birds will be distributed across Ghana’s 276 constituencies, translating to 10,000 birds per constituency.
The project is expected to directly benefit approximately 60,000 households, with each participating household receiving 50 birds, alongside technical support and guidance to ensure sustainable production.
“This initiative is not just about distributing poultry,” the President noted.
