Kumasi: President John Dramani Mahama has praised Mr. Eric Opoku, the Food and Agriculture Minister, as one of the best ministers of agriculture in Ghana's history. He expressed this commendation during the launch of a new vegetable development project under the national agricultural strategy in Atukuom, Asunafo South District, and the groundbreaking ceremony for a chicken and meat processing center in Bechem, Ahafo region.
According to Ghana News Agency, President Mahama highlighted the fresh vegetable initiative as a crucial move to enhance food security, decrease dependency on imports, and empower smallholder and subsistence farmers across Ghana. Mr. Eric Opoku, also serving as the Member of Parliament for Asunafo South, has been pivotal in advancing agricultural interventions, such as the Feed Ghana Programme launched in April. This initiative aims to revolutionize the agricultural sector, increase domestic food production, stabilize food prices, generate employment, and provide raw materials for agro-industries.
The Ministry, under the Feed Ghana Programme, has introduced the Y?REDUA Vegetable Development Project, which encourages vegetable cultivation through greenhouse farming, irrigation-supported open field cultivations, and support for urban, peri-urban, and rural farmers. Vegetable nurseries are being established nationwide to offer families easy access to quality seedlings, promoting home gardening and household-level food production.
In the poultry sector, Mr. Opoku has led a comprehensive revitalization effort, including the Nkoko Nketenkete Programme, a backyard poultry initiative targeting women and youth, and a 'Farm to Table' framework supporting large and medium-scale poultry farmers. The Ministry has distributed birds to thousands of households and is scaling up domestic poultry production to reduce Ghana's reliance on imported poultry products.
A state-of-the-art soya processing plant is also being established in the North to provide a reliable market for soybean farmers and feed into poultry feed value chains. The Feed Ghana programme has expanded irrigation infrastructure, rehabilitated dams, and supported institutional farming covering schools, security agencies, religious institutions, and youth to boost the production of staples, vegetables, and livestock while curbing postharvest losses.
During the Bechem event, President Mahama initiated the construction of a chicken and meat processing center, promoted by Minister Opoku, as a key element in developing Ghana's poultry value chain and local meat processing. The public acknowledged that the new vegetable initiative and renewed investment in poultry and agro-processing position Ghana for long-term food self-sufficiency and economic transformation, transforming agriculture from subsistence-level production to a diversified, agro-industrial sector focused on food security, import substitution, rural livelihoods, and value chain development.