Agricultural Scientist, Professor Roger Kanton, has highlighted finance and agri-processing as the most underdeveloped and problematic segments of Ghana’s agricultural value chain, warning that their continued neglect is holding back the country’s agribusiness potential.
He stressed that unlocking the full capacity of the sector would require bold policy reforms, increased private sector participation, and targeted support for value-added production.
Speaking at the Citi Business Forum under the theme Harnessing Agribusiness for Economic Growth: Expanding Ghana’s Agribusiness Frontiers, Prof. Kanton underscored the urgent need for investment and infrastructure to drive value addition in agriculture.
“Just like the good books say, money answers everything. When you have money, what can you not do? If you’re given a job to do without money, you will fail,” he said.
Prof. Kanton explained that agribusiness goes beyond primary farming and includes the processing of raw agricultural materials into consumer-ready products such as milled grains, canned fruits and vegetables, and both liquid and solid dairy products. He described this stage of the value chain as Ghana’s greatest shortfall.
“Agri-business involves transforming raw agricultural products into usable forms — milling, canned fruits and vegetables, or processing dairy products in both liquid and solid forms. Regrettably, this is where we are weakest as a country or almost completely lacking,” he noted.
He further warned that Ghana’s heavy reliance on imported processed foods is exerting pressure on the local currency and undermining the country’s efforts to build a resilient local agribusiness sector.
Prof. Kanton also pointed to persistent challenges in transportation and poor road infrastructure as major obstacles to agricultural development.
He concluded by calling for a comprehensive national strategy that prioritizes investment in agri-processing and introduces financing models tailored to support stakeholders across the agricultural ecosystem.
Source : citinewsroom.com
