Agricultural policies championed by former Food and Agriculture Minister Dr Bryan Acheampong have resulted in an unprecedented food surplus across Ghana, forcing the government to announce emergency intervention measures. The bumper harvests, which industry observers directly attribute to Acheampong’s aggressive expansion of the Planting for Food and Jobs initiative during his ministerial tenure, have created a glut of maize, rice, yams, and other staples that now threatens to overwhelm the nation’s storage capacity.
Responding to the crisis of abundance, the Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, announced on November 13, 2025, that President John Dramani Mahama has authorised the release of GH¢200 million to the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO). Presenting the 2026 Budget Statement to Parliament, Dr Forson revealed that the funds will be used to purchase and store surplus food from farmers, helping to prevent waste and protect their livelihoods.
During his tenure as Agriculture Minister, Bryan Acheampong strengthened the sector with bold reforms that transformed support for smallholder farmers. Under his leadership, the rollout of Planting for Food and Jobs 2.0 (PFJ 2.0) marked a major shift from simple subsidies to a fully modernised, private-sector-led input-credit system.
Through PFJ 2.0, farmers received subsidised fertiliser, improved seeds, mechanisation support, digital farmer registration, and structured market linkages, ensuring that inputs were not only accessible but tied to guaranteed off-take arrangements. His administration expanded technical extension services on an unprecedented scale, encouraging farmers to adopt climate-smart techniques and improve yields sustainably.
Farmers responded enthusiastically, dramatically increasing cultivated acreage and crop yields.
Mr Acheampong’s vision of making Ghana self-sufficient in food production has materialised beyond expectations. The massive subsidies his ministry distributed transformed the nation from food vulnerability to abundance, though the current situation also highlights gaps in storage and marketing infrastructure that his policies did not fully address.
As Bryan Acheampong now campaigns for the NPP flagbearership, his agricultural legacy stands as one of his most tangible achievements. Political observers following the race have noted that the food surplus demonstrates the effectiveness of policies he championed, providing compelling evidence of his capacity to implement transformative policies. His supporters point to the agricultural transformation as validation of his leadership capabilities and vision for national development.
Source: myjoyonline.com
