The Minister of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Mr Eric Opoku, is calling for community-based-commodity-based cooperatives among farmers across the country.
The cooperatives which would be under the Feed Ghana Programme would help government intervention reach all farmers.
Such interventions as access to Farmer Service Centers (FSCs) that offer mechanisation services, input distribution, extension support, and access to climate-smart technologies.
The minister said his outfit would in the coming weeks roll out sensitisation campaigns in all regions, engage traditional authorities, and work closely with Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to ensure the smooth formation and formalisation of farmer cooperatives across the country.
Speaking at a press briefing in Accra on Wednesday, the minister stated that forming cooperative was not just an administrative requirement but a strategic pathway for transformation in the agricultural sector.
According to him, cooperative were proven instruments of empowerment, as they would enable farmers especially smallholder and vulnerable groups to enjoy the benefits of scale, collective bargaining, and structured engagement with both government and private sector players.
“Through partnerships with rural and commercial banks, we are facilitating the delivery of tailor-made agricultural financial products, including savings, insurance, and mobile money platforms,” the minister asserted.
Under the Poultry Industry Revitalisation Project, Mr Opoku said registered cooperatives would be eligible to secure loans and investment packages from financial institutions and private investors, which included access to high-yield breeds like the Kuroiler birds, feed subsidies, and training in good husbandry practices.
Furthermore, the sector minister said Cooperatives were key channels through which farmers could be represented in national policy discourse and included in decision-making platforms at district, regional, and national levels.
Some other benefits farmers through cooperatives could gain, according to him included sharing of knowledge and adoption of best practices, bulk purchasing of inputs at lower costs, collective marketing of produce, reducing post-harvest losses, social safety net through shared resources and support during shocks and disasters and capacity to attract donor support.
“I therefore call on all farmers, especially smallholder farmers, women, youth, and persons with disabilities, to take this opportunity seriously, organise yourselves into farmer-based organisations and cooperatives in line with your crops, livestock, or value chain activities,” he said.
BY CECILIA YADA LAGBA
