Ghana's agricultural sector is facing significant financial losses, with post-harvest challenges costing the nation approximately $1.9 billion annually, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).

The losses, which primarily affect perishable goods, are largely attributed to inadequate post-harvest infrastructure, such as insufficient machinery, lack of market access, inadequate warehousing, bushfires, and poor road conditions.

Miss Elorm Goh, Executive Director of Agrisolve, highlighted the severe impact of these losses on smallholder farmers, who are losing about 30 percent of their income due to post-harvest inefficiencies.

Speaking at a technical stakeholders’ breakfast meeting in Accra, she emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating, "If you lose even one percent of your produce, it’s a big deal, but in this case, farmers are losing up to 50 percent due to post-harvest challenges."

The meeting, organized by the Graphic Communications Group in partnership with the WFP, focused on transforming agricultural productivity in Ghana by reducing post-harvest losses.

Miss Goh called for increased government intervention, particularly in fostering private sector participation to improve infrastructure, including the provision of adequate warehouses and processing machinery.

"If we provide the roads, the right machinery for harvesting of produce, and more cold rooms for storage, farmers won’t be losing between 40 to 50 percent of their toil, and that will definitely be income for them," she added.

In addition to infrastructure improvements, Miss Goh urged financial institutions to develop innovative, tailor-made solutions for those involved in the agricultural value chain, aiming to reduce post-harvest losses and boost farmers' incomes.

Mr. Steven Odartefio, Head of Food Systems at the WFP, underscored the need for local government structures to facilitate connections between agribusinesses and farmers.

"Farmers are losing their output, which has an impact on their pocket. Although they harvest more, they supply less because by the time it gets to the end market, certain activities contribute to losses of the produce," he noted. He advocated for government support in linking agribusinesses with farmers to help transform produce and benefit smallholder farmers.

Madam Marbara Clemens, Country Director for the WFP in Ghana, discussed a partnership with the MasterCard Foundation, which aims to provide technical support and post-harvest equipment to 100,000 smallholder farmers.

This initiative is designed to reduce post-harvest losses and improve agricultural productivity through innovative solutions delivered by a network of aggregators.

Madam Clemens also called for a national effort to address challenges across the agricultural value chain, from seed production to processing, to make the sector more appealing to the youth.

She emphasized that prioritizing the patronage of locally produced goods would significantly enhance food security and improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers.