President John Dramani Mahama has praised Food and Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku as one of the finest agriculture ministers in Ghana’s history.
He made the commendation during the launch of a new vegetable development project under the national agricultural strategy at Atukum in the Asunafo South District, as well as at a groundbreaking ceremony for a chicken and meat processing centre in Bechem in the Ahafo Region.
Addressing the gathering, President Mahama described the fresh vegetable initiative as a crucial step toward enhancing food security, reducing the country’s dependence on imports, and empowering smallholder and subsistence farmers nationwide.
Mr. Eric Opoku, who also serves as Member of Parliament for Asunafo South, has been leading major reforms within the sector. In April, he launched the Feed Ghana Programme, a flagship initiative aimed at transforming agriculture, boosting domestic food production, stabilising food prices, creating jobs, and supplying raw materials for agro-industries.
As part of the programme, the Ministry introduced the YƐREDUA Vegetable Development Project, which promotes vegetable production through greenhouse farming, irrigated open-field cultivation, and support for urban, peri-urban, and rural farmers. Nationwide vegetable nurseries are also being established to provide families with access to high-quality seedlings and to encourage home gardening and household-level food production.
In the poultry subsector, Mr. Opoku has led a broad revitalisation agenda, including the Nkoko Nketenkete Programme a backyard poultry initiative targeting women and youth and a “Farm to Table” framework that supports medium- and large-scale poultry farmers. The Ministry has distributed birds to thousands of households and is scaling up domestic poultry output to reduce the country’s dependence on imported poultry products.
Additionally, a modern soya processing plant is being established in the northern part of the country to provide a ready market for soybean farmers and strengthen the feed value chain for the poultry industry.
The Feed Ghana Programme has also expanded irrigation infrastructure, rehabilitated dams, and strengthened institutional farming across schools, security agencies, religious bodies, and youth groups. These efforts aim to increase production of staples, vegetables, and livestock while reducing post-harvest losses.
At the ceremony in Bechem, President Mahama broke ground for the construction of a chicken and meat processing centre—a strategic project championed by Minister Opoku to anchor Ghana’s poultry value chain development and enhance local meat processing.
Observers noted that the renewed focus on vegetable production, poultry development, and agro-processing places Ghana on a strong path toward long-term food self-sufficiency and economic transformation. The initiatives signal a shift from subsistence farming to a diversified, agro-industrial sector centred on food security, import substitution, rural livelihoods, and value-chain development.
