‘It cannot continue’ – Ato Forson challenges Ghana’s $3.5bn food import bill

Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has called for a shift towards modern commercial agriculture to reduce Ghana’s annual US$3.5 billion food import bill.

Speaking in an interview on Thursday after presenting the 2027 Budget to Parliament, he said the country had the land, water resources and young population needed to produce more of its own food.

“We spend about 3.5 billion United States dollars yearly to bring foodstuffs into our country. It cannot continue.”

Dr Forson argued that the existing approach to farming could not meet the country’s needs.

“The current agriculture, peasant agriculture, cannot solve the problems.”

He questioned Ghana’s dependence on imported palm oil, sugar, rice and poultry. He said modernising agriculture could strengthen domestic production and supply industries that currently rely on imports.

“Why should we be importing about $200 million of chicken every year?” he asked.

He pointed to soybean and maize production as opportunities to support poultry farmers with locally produced feed.

“Why can't we use our land to grow soybean and maize to feed the poultry industry?”

The minister also expressed concern about fish imports and Ghana’s reliance on neighbouring Burkina Faso for vegetables.

“We spend hundreds of millions of dollars every year to bring in vegetables. Pwalugu can be the solution. Why can't we do this?”

Beyond food production, Dr Forson said Ghana must retain more value from its cocoa rather than continue exporting beans for processing elsewhere.

He cited his experience in Bangkok, where he said he had seen a range of cocoa-based products. He argued that Ghana’s longstanding financing model encouraged buying and shipping beans instead of domestic processing.

“We are not saying don't come and buy our cocoa beans, but if you are a company out there, come and buy our cocoa beans, but add value here in Ghana.”

Asked about targets to process 50% of Ghana’s cocoa locally by 2028 and 100% by 2030, Dr Forson said the new Cocoa Board Act already provided for the 50% requirement.

He said a legislative instrument would set out the implementation timelines, including the move to full local processing by 2030.

On processing capacity, the minister disclosed that Dangote had expressed interest in using Ghana as a cocoa-processing hub.

He said discussions involved a proposed contract covering 500,000 metric tonnes of cocoa for local value addition. The terms were still being examined.

“Dangote has reached out to use Ghana as a hub to process cocoa locally.”