A lecturer at the University of Cape Coast, Professor Festus Annor-Frimpong, has disclosed that Ghana is only self-sufficient in four foods and is calling on the government to undertake radical investments to resolve the situation and increase yield.
Addressing participants during ‘The Swedru Conversations’ under the theme ‘Feeding Ourselves as a Nation,’ Professor Annor-Frimpong mentioned that despite having deficits in yam, maize, cassava, and plantain, the situation is worse when it comes to vegetable production.
“Information available from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture indicates that Ghana is only food-sufficient in four commodities, which include maize, cassava, yam, and plantains, and even then, I am sure some people will want to challenge that.”
“We have a high deficit in poultry. In fact, if you compare the years 2022 to 2023, we have a deficit of about 95 percent net, and for rice, we are talking about 52 percent as measured, and for vegetables, I don’t even want to talk about that. Tomato is about 27 percent, so we have a lot to achieve in that area.”
He also bemoaned the inability of the country to feed itself, which he attributed to the high and fluctuating inflation rates.
“Before we propose any solutions, we need to know why we are not able to feed ourselves, and I think we are not able to feed ourselves because of the high inflation rates.”
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