Food and Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku has highlighted the strong link between rising food prices and the number of Ghanaians living in poverty, stressing the need for agricultural transformation to improve productivity and household welfare.
He made the remarks in an exclusive interview with JoyNews.
“I know rising food prices have a positive relationship with the number of people in the poverty zone. When food prices are going up, it means that the number of people in poverty is also increasing,” Opoku said.
He added that when food prices decline, families can save more, invest in education, improve health, and provide balanced diets, which are essential for overall societal growth.
The minister also pointed to the low productivity levels in Ghana compared with other countries.
“In other jurisdictions, when you put a hectare of land into the cultivation of maize, you are likely to harvest over five tons. But in Ghana, the maximum we are doing is around two tons on the same piece of land,” he explained.
Eric Opoku emphasised that his ministry has implemented measures to address these challenges. “We have done a lot of things on the ground within the shortest period of time to make sure we lay a solid foundation—what we can call the fundamentals—to trigger a complete agricultural transformation,” he noted.
The comments come amid ongoing concerns over food affordability and low crop yields in the country, which have been exacerbated by climate challenges and high input costs.
The ministry’s focus on boosting productivity and stabilising food prices is aimed at reducing poverty and improving livelihoods across rural and urban communities.
By addressing structural challenges in the sector, the government hopes to ensure that agriculture contributes more effectively to national development, household income, and food security.