Techiman: Mr. Patrick Acheampong, the 2025 Bono East Regional Best Farmer, has called for government intervention to secure international market opportunities for agricultural produce. He emphasized the need for access to markets in Europe, Asia, and the United States, highlighting concerns over the wastage of produce due to the absence of ready markets, which discourages farmers in the region.
According to Ghana News Agency, Mr. Acheampong urged the government to subsidize agricultural inputs to make the sector more appealing to the youth and to motivate farmers to expand their economic activities. During an interview in Techiman, he expressed concern over the high costs of inputs and the lack of available markets as significant deterrents for the approximately 3,238 registered farmer groups in the region.
Mr. Acheampong noted that while prices of farm produce have remained stable, transport fares, petroleum product prices, and costs for agricultural inputs such as fertilizers and labor have seen slight increases. He asserted that as a significant food-producing region, government support in helping farmers access international markets could attract many unemployed youth to agriculture.
Despite these challenges, Mr. Acheampong praised the government’s ‘Feed Ghana’ initiative, noting that many farmers in the region are prepared for its full implementation.