Accra: Ghana's agricultural growth slowed to 3.6 per cent in May 2026, a significant drop from the 9.8 per cent recorded a year earlier, according to the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS). This 6.2 percentage-point decline represents the largest slowdown among the country's major economic sectors, although agricultural activity remained higher than in the previous year.
According to Ghana News Agency, the GSS's latest Monthly Indicator of Economic Growth (MIEG) showed an increase in the agriculture index to 118.7 in May 2026 from 114.6 in May 2025. The Service attributed the sector's expansion mainly to activities in the crops and livestock subsectors, despite the overall moderation in growth momentum compared to the robust performance of the prior year.
The high growth recorded in May 2025 set a high base for comparison, with the GSS noting that agricultural activity's seasonal nature makes year-on-year comparisons more indicative of underlying trends. Despite the slowdown, the rise in the agriculture index illustrates continued output expansion over the past year.
Agriculture plays a crucial role in Ghana's economy, serving as a major source of employment and income. It also supplies raw materials to local industries and contributes to the country's export earnings. The GSS warned that sustained weakness in agricultural growth could affect food prices, rural incomes, and export performance if the trend persists.
The recent performance comes amidst efforts to enhance agricultural productivity by focusing on improving access to inputs, irrigation, mechanisation, and storage facilities. The MIEG, developed by the GSS, serves as an early indicator of economic activity movements, providing insights ahead of the quarterly Gross Domestic Product statistics. It is compiled from monthly production data and administrative records, adjusted to remove inflation effects.