For years, farmers have been at the mercy of fluctuating markets, especially during the major farming season, leaving many smallholder farmers in uncertainty.
The 2025 farming season, for instance, is not one that these farmers, particularly those into grain and cassava, are proud of.
Several calls from farmer groups and experts have been directed to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to put in measures to avert such happenings.
The sector Minister, Eric Opoku, since a recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government of Belarus, has explained what the partnership means and its benefits to Ghanaian farmers and agribusiness.
According to him, the Ghanaian government is using an integrated system approach to deal with food glut and post-harvest losses, where factories will always be on standby to offtake farm produce.
During President John Mahama’s visit to Belarus to woo investors, he identified agriculture as the greatest immediate opportunity for collaboration and, therefore, called on Belarusian investors to participate in commercial farming, irrigation development, greenhouse production, fertiliser manufacturing and agro-processing.
“Ghana’s fertile land, favourable climate and expanding market make it one of Africa’s most attractive agribusiness destinations,” he said.
While throwing more light on the partnership in a video posted on the Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s official Facebook page, Mr Opoku further argued that it will make the sector more attractive and profitable.
“The reason farming is big and highly profitable in Belarus is that they have what can be referred to as contract farming. Factories or processors are always on standby to offtake. Once a farmer’s produce is harvested, they sell it to the factories and get paid. The processing plants add value and sell to the local market, and also export,” he said in Twi.
The Minister reiterated that value addition for domestic supply and export is what drives employment creation in the agriculture sector.
“For example, the cattle ranch the President visited produces milk in large quantities to feed factories to manufacture dairy products such as cheese and butter. They make 14 products out of fresh milk, so the farmer doesn’t cry over unsold harvests or run at a loss.”
With this arrangement in place, Eric Opoku said farmers are always encouraged to continue being in business and expand their ventures.
“This is what President Mahama wants us to do in Ghana. We call an integrated approach to agriculture, which captures the entire value chain from the farm to the fork.”
He noted that Ghana’s partnership with Belarus will enable the country to acquire advanced technology, promote profitable agriculture and agribusiness, ultimately driving food security and job creation
