The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has disclosed that the government has reached out to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the World Food Programme (WFP) regarding the oversupply of grains and cereals in the Ghanaian market.

He revealed this on Monday, November 24, while speaking at the Government Accountability Series at the Presidency. According to him, these international partners are also working to engage other countries and regions to determine how they can assist Ghana.

“We have spoken to the WFP, who are also engaging their counterparts in other jurisdictions to see what they can do to mop up the excess. We have also invited ECOWAS because they have a responsibility to maintain strategic reserves against emergencies. ECOWAS officials will meet me today to discuss what measures they can take to support the process,” he added.

According to him, the National Food Buffer Stock Company has also begun efforts to ease the pressure on producers by absorbing part of the surplus.

Currently, Ghana is facing a maize glut, with over 100,000 tonnes of maize from the 2024 harvest left unsold, causing severe financial strain on farmers. In addition to maize, other food items experiencing oversupply include rice and eggs.

Farmers in regions like Bono and Sissala have produced more maize than the market can absorb. On the other hand, grains and cereals have piled up in storage and warehouse facilities.

In addition to maize, other food items experiencing oversupply include rice and eggs. Farmers in regions such as Bono and Sissala have produced more maize than the market can absorb. On the other hand, grains and cereals have piled up in storage and warehouse facilities.

In another development, President John Dramani Mahama, on Wednesday, November 12, unveiled the government’s flagship poultry revitalisation programme, Nkoko Nkitinkiti, in Kumasi.

The programme is not only a job-creation intervention but also a deliberate policy to curb the heavy importation of frozen chicken. It will involve distributing three million poultry birds.

It is designed to bring poultry production directly to the doorsteps of every Ghanaian—in homes, schools, and communities across the country. Beneficiaries will receive birds, feed, and other supplies to start their poultry businesses, transforming subsistence activities into self-sustaining livelihoods.

Under phase one of the programme, each beneficiary will receive 50 chicks, feed support, and technical guidance to ensure the survival and sustainability of the project.

President Mahama said the Nkoko Nkitinkiti initiative, another campaign promise fulfilled, is a key component of the broader Feed Ghana Programme, designed to guarantee food sovereignty and shared prosperity.

“It is with pride and a deep sense of national duty that I stand before you in this historic city of Kumasi, the birthplace of enterprise and innovation, to launch a programme that addresses the core of our national food security and inclusive growth agenda, the Nkoko Nkitinkiti Household and Backyard Poultry Production Initiative,” he said.

The initiative is a national movement—a bold step toward restoring food self-sufficiency, strengthening household resilience, and fostering sustainable livelihoods for tens of thousands of Ghanaians, especially women, youth, and vulnerable families, the President added.

Mr. Mahama reiterated that, for too long, Ghana’s poultry industry, which was once an active contributor to rural incomes and national nutrition, has faced structural bottlenecks such as high feed costs, limited access to improved breeds, inadequate processing capacity, and over-reliance on imports.

“In 2023 alone, Ghana spent over $350 million importing poultry products, a drain on our foreign exchange and a missed opportunity for the nation’s farmers and entrepreneurs. We must and we will reverse this trend.”

He said the time for Ghana to reclaim the pride of producing, processing, and consuming what Ghanaians themselves grow is long overdue.

Under the Feed Ghana programme, the government will execute a three-pronged strategy to restore the poultry value chain from the household level to the commercial scale.

These include the Poultry Farm to Table project, Anchor Farmers, and the Agro-Growers Support Scheme, which will feature 50 carefully selected Anchor poultry farmers.

Each Anchor farmer will receive 80,000 chicks, along with housing and logistics, to produce four million birds. This will boost local demand and establish a direct market between producers and processors.

Ahead of the launch, Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, who has labelled the initiative a “backyard poultry programme,” explained that it will empower about 60,000 households in all 276 constituencies nationwide to produce three million birds.

According to him, the programme is targeted at single mothers, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable people in the community during an address on October 16.

Speaking during a media briefing ahead of the launch, Mr. Opoku clarified that “the government’s Nkoko Nkitinkiti policy, which is to be launched, does not cover commercial poultry farmers.

The policy is for households. While the government is starting with the Nkoko Nkitinkiti initiative, the public must understand that it is just one aspect of the government’s poultry production plans. We have another program under which we are targeting existing poultry farmers.”

However, he noted that the government has other policy directives that will be rolled out to support large-scale and medium-scale poultry farmers.

The policy is part of the broader Feed Ghana strategy and includes training, access to feed, and improved breeding stock. Originally set for July, it was delayed to October for stakeholder engagement.

By reducing the $300 million spent annually on poultry imports, the initiative seeks to revitalise agriculture, empower youth, and strengthen Ghana’s self-sufficiency in protein production.

The Minister for Food and Agriculture stated that technical staff from the ministry are engaging stakeholders in the poultry industry to gather data on how best the policy can be rolled out, noting that information received from field officers will guide the selection of beneficiaries.

“What we are doing now is dealing with backyard poultry farming. That has nothing to do with the commercial farmers. It has nothing to do with the commercial farmers. In fact, the technical people are already in the field. We are selecting the beneficiaries based on their capacities in their various places.

“So, in Bono Ahafo, for instance, the people have submitted their reports. They have gone to their places of work and have identified those people we can work with. Now, we have to engage with them based on the information that we have before we roll out that one,” the Minister said.

Hon. Opoku then noted that there are other plans underway purposely for large-scale and medium-scale commercial farmers, emphasising the need for an overall increase in poultry production in the country to reduce imports and reliance on foreign poultry and poultry products.

The minister also highlighted that an existing programme from last year provided some poultry farmers with logistics and financial support, with the understanding that they would repay after harvest.