An agribusiness consultant and development advocate has called for a shift from government-led initiatives in the agricultural sector to private sector-driven. 

Klutse Kudomor, the former Programme Coordinator of the Ghana Agricultural Sector Investment Programme (GASIP), argued that empowering private entities would enhance efficiency, innovation and accountability, ensuring that resources reached farmers promptly.

“Farming must be private sector-led, with the government playing a supportive role. Organisations such as the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana have shown that private players can drive progress. Let’s create an enabling environment for these stakeholders to thrive,” Mr Kudomor stated during an interaction with journalists in Accra.

He said the smallholder farmer was the hub around which sustainable stable production revolved, noting that over 90 per cent of staples consumed and even exported were produced by the smallholder farmer.

Mr Kudomor lamented that in recent times, the government had burnt its fingers so badly in diverting attention from the smallholder farmers.

“Where are the Darko Farms, Ejura Farms, and Sydals Farms who received huge grants from governments,” he asked.

Transforming smallholder farmers

He was of the view that more attention must be paid to transforming smallholder farmers by increasing their productivity and enhancing their economies of scale.

“This will create the needed jobs that employ the youth and are also owned by the youth,” Mr Kudomor, a renowned agribusiness consultant explained.

He called for a relook at the country's agricultural strategies to ensure food security, reduce import dependency and drive economic growth.

Mr Kudomor outlined a transformative plan to address systemic inefficiencies, capitalise on Ghana’s competitive advantages and position agriculture as a cornerstone of national development.

“We have the land, the resources and the expertise, but inefficiencies and poor timing are holding us back. Agriculture cannot thrive when inputs such as fertilisers and seeds are delivered late or trapped in bureaucratic red tape. It’s time to break this cycle,” Mr Kudomor said. 

He highlighted the critical challenges facing Ghana’s agriculture sector, including delayed input delivery, policy inconsistencies and the failure to prioritise strategic crops.

Mr Kudomor underscored the need for continuity in agricultural policies, criticising the tendency of successive governments to abandon existing programmes.

He cited the Brazilian mechanisation facility and the Planting for Food and Jobs initiative as examples of valuable projects that suffered from poor follow-through.

For example, the Brazilian and Canadian facilities used to initiate the Planting for Food & Jobs programme were abandoned for a completely new approach in the past two years under the same government.

“We cannot afford to reinvent the wheel every time a new minister takes office unless the strategy is entirely hopeless and lacks vision.

“Progress requires consistency and long-term planning. Let’s build on what works instead of starting all over,” he emphasised.

Competitive crops

One of Mr Kudomor’s key recommendations was for Ghana to focus on crops where it had a competitive advantage, such as maize, rice, soybeans, sorghum, cowpea and some vegetables.

He said while tomato farming faced significant challenges due to Ghana’s humid climate and crop diseases, cereal crops such as maize and rice thrived across the country’s diverse agricultural zones.

“Our strength lies in maize and rice production. We have the capacity to feed not just ourselves but also our neighbours in Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali.

“It is time to prioritise these crops and turn our comparative advantage into economic gains,” he said.

Reimaging trade relations

Mr Kudomor called for a new approach to Ghana’s trade relationships with neighbouring countries, adding that instead of importing staples such as maize and rice, Ghana should be exporting surplus crops to create a favourable trade balance.

“We can produce enough to meet local demand and export to our neighbours. By doing so, we strengthen our economy, support farmers and reduce our reliance on imports,” he explained.

He advocated the establishment of a new agency named the Cross Border Commodity Export Bureau (CBCEB) to monitor, regulate and quantify the value of Ghana’s commodities that reached neighbouring countries. 

Timeliness

He said timeliness was a recurring thing, stressing that the success of any agricultural initiative hinged on the prompt delivery of inputs to farmers.

“Agriculture operates on nature’s clock. Seeds, fertilisers and equipment must reach farmers when they need them, not after the season.

Delays in supplies of inputs lead to crop failures and food shortages,” he said.