Stakeholders in Ghana’s agricultural sector are calling on the government to fast-track the implementation of key interventions announced in the 2026 Budget, saying many of the promised measures have yet to make a meaningful impact on farmers.
Their concerns follow the presentation of the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review by Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, with farmers insisting that high production costs continue to threaten food security and efforts to reduce food prices.
A Council Member and former President of the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG), Wepia Awal Adugwala, said several flagship agricultural interventions outlined in the budget have either been slow to take off or are yet to be implemented.
Among the initiatives he cited are the establishment of 50 Farmers’ Service Centres, the construction of 1,000 kilometres of farm roads, and the expansion of irrigation infrastructure across the country.
Speaking to Adom News, Mr Adugwala said farmers are yet to experience the benefits of these interventions.
According to him, the high cost of agricultural inputs, particularly machinery, continues to place enormous pressure on farmers and limits their ability to reduce food prices.
“On paper, inflation may appear stable, but the reality for farmers is very different. The cost of machinery is too high, and this directly affects how much food can be sold on the market,” he said.
He also identified limited access to credit as one of the biggest challenges facing farmers, noting that many financial institutions remain reluctant to lend to the agricultural sector.
Without affordable financing, he said, farmers are unable to invest in modern equipment or expand production.
Mr Adugwala warned that unless the government takes deliberate steps to reduce production costs and improve access to financing, stabilising food prices will remain difficult.
Similar concerns have been raised by players in the poultry industry.
The immediate past President of the Poultry Farmers Association of Ghana, Napoleon Agyeman, said access to affordable credit remains a major obstacle to the growth of poultry farming.
Speaking to Adom News, Mr Agyeman explained that many small-scale poultry farmers cannot afford mechanised equipment because of financial constraints, forcing them to rely on labour-intensive methods that increase production costs.
“This situation affects productivity and ultimately impacts the prices of poultry products on the market,” he said.
He called on the government, financial institutions and development partners to introduce affordable, farmer-friendly loan schemes with flexible repayment terms to help farmers expand production and improve efficiency.
The farmers believe that although the policy commitments outlined in the 2026 Budget are encouraging, their success will ultimately depend on timely implementation and the extent to which they translate into tangible support for farmers at the grassroots.
Also read:
