Farmers have protested, and others have described this year as their worst year in decades, following a massive maize and rice glut plaguing the country. During a peaceful protest held by some farmers in Tamale, they held placards with inscriptions which read “Eat Ghana Rice” and “Boycott Farmers’ Day Until Farmers Are Heard”, accusing the government of failing to honour its pledge to buy local grains through the Buffer Stock Company.

Consequently, Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, during an interview on Citi Breakfast Show, confirmed that the government earlier released GH₵100 million on November 10.

In addition to the GHC 100 million, President Mahama, during a speech in Kumasi on Wednesday, November 12, at the launch of the Nkoko Nkitinkiti Poultry Initiative, announced that he has ordered the Finance Minister, Ato Forson, to disburse another GHC 200 million, citing that the first disbursement couldn’t clear the surplus.

He acknowledged the troubles of the farmers, citing that the yet-to-be disbursed funds will be used to purchase the surplus grains and be stored for future use.

Speaking at the launch of the Nkoko Nkitinkiti Poultry Initiative in Kumasi, President Mahama said the government had already released GH₵100 million to address the situation, but the funds were not enough to clear the surplus.

“Our farmers are worried. There’s a glut on the market, so I asked the Finance Minister to provide GH₵100 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. 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 explained that with prices continuing to fall and farmers unable to make profits, the government had decided to take further action.

“I’ve directed the Finance Minister to release an additional GH₵200 million to buy the remaining glut and store it for future use. President Mahama added that the same approach would be applied to other crops, 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 stated.

This move forms part of the government’s wider plan to curb food wastage, strengthen national food security, and preserve surplus produce for future use.

The President also mentioned measures to support poultry farmers. “I have also instructed Buffer Stock to purchase rice from our local farmers to prevent losses. For eggs, I have asked the managers of the school feeding programme to include eggs in student meals,” he added.

He reaffirmed his government’s commitment to supporting farmers, stabilising agricultural markets, and protecting the nation’s food supply chain, stressing that “no Ghanaian farmer should suffer losses simply because they produced in abundance.”

In the morning of Thursday, November 13, the National Food Buffer Stock Company, during a press conference, revealed that they requested at least GH¢770 million to effectively address the issue of the food glut.

Chief Executive Officer, George Abradu-Otoo, noted that the GHC 200 million was “a drop in the ocean.”

According to him, the current food glut Ghana is facing is evidence of the long-term funding gaps his outfit has faced over the years, noting that the Buffer Stock Company has never received dedicated funds to mop up excess produce from farmers.

While he described the money as a drop in the ocean, he commended the government for the move, saying, “Initially, we were given GHȼ100 [million]. The minister wrote to me recently that they have added another GHȼ100 [million]. I hear in the next budget that will be read on Thursday, there’s some GH¢200 [million] that will come. It’s like a drop in the ocean, but I am happy because this is the first time this is happening.

“For so many years, nobody ever gave Buffer Stock money, or no government gave Buffer Stock money to go out to the field and mop up the excess [produce]. This is the beginning. The amount of money I requested is far higher than what they have given us now, but I am steadfast in the comfort that it is a modest beginning.

He added, however, that the Buffer Stock Company is currently deploying its contracted agents to farm gates to purchase excess produce for storage in its warehouses.

“We are in the field now, and very soon the noise will go down. Initially, we requested GH¢770 million minimally, but so far they have given us GHȼ100 million,” George Abradu-Otoo said.

There have been reports of gluts in key food crops, with farmers struggling to find ready markets for their produce.

The government in September announced a thirty percent (30%) increase in farmgate prices for three staple crops in Ghana.

In a statement shared by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), it announced a minimum guaranteed farmgate price set for gari, rice and maize.

Farmgate refers to the point where agricultural products are sold directly by the farmer, typically at the farm itself, before any additional costs like transportation, packaging, or retail markups are added. This forms part of the government’s efforts to give farmers the option to sell directly to the National Food Buffer Stock Company at fixed rates.

Farmers now have a minimum price assurance, protecting them from exploitative middlemen and volatile market swings and protecting them against post-harvest losses. With NAFCO ready to buy at guaranteed rates, farmers are less likely to leave produce unsold or rotting and stabilise the agricultural value chain.

“Any farmer experiencing difficulties with buyers who attempt to purchase below the guaranteed prices should sell their stock directly to NAFCO, where they will be assured of the approved price. The guaranteed prices are intended to tackle the problem of unsold surplus grains, provide fair earnings for farmers, and stabilise the agricultural value chain,” parts of the statement said.

Consequently, “farmers are strongly encouraged not to sell their produce below these announced prices.”

The prices were approved by the Producer Price Determination Committee during its first meeting, which took place from September 11 to 12 after its inauguration earlier this month.

Under the new structure, a 100-kilogramme bag of maize will be purchased at GH¢450, a 50kg bag of rice at GH¢625, and a 34kg bag of gari at GH¢340.

This translates into GH¢4.50 per kilogramme for maize, GH¢12.50 per kilogramme for rice, and GH¢10 per kilogramme for gari.

Before the government announced the new prices, farmers were primarily selling their staple crops at significantly lower and fluctuating rates. For example, the price of maize before the increase ranged from GH¢2.80 to GH¢3.50 per kilogram.

These prices were not fixed and could change, especially during glut periods when there was an oversupply in the market, which impacted pricing. During such times, prices often dropped sharply, forcing many farmers to sell below their production costs to prevent their crops from spoiling, often due to inadequate storage facilities.