Govt to give $1m to Peasant Farmers for vegetable production – Eric Opoku

The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has announced that the government will disburse $ 1 million to support over 1,500 peasant farmers in Northern Ghana as part of efforts to boost vegetable production under the Feed Ghana Project.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Monday, April 14, 2025, the Minister emphasised that the government’s priority is to empower grassroots farmers, many of whom are already engaged in tomato and other vegetable cultivation.

He explained that many of these farmers lack the financial capacity to scale up their operations, which is why the government is stepping in with direct financial support.

The funding will be formalised on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, when the Minister is expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Apex Bank to facilitate the disbursement.

“We are dealing with the peasant farmers because they are on the field and are registered. We are also trying to put some of them into cooperative. Some are already into the tomatoes production. So, it is just a matter of our team identifying them and giving them the logistics they require to be able to do that.

“In some cases, some of them do not have the financial muscles to be able to do the kind of work they are doing. So in the coming Wednesday, April 16, 2025, I will engage the media because I will sign an MoU with the Apex Bank for the distribution $1 million to over 1500 peasant farmers in the Northern part of the country for the production of vegetables. This is just the beginning,” he stated.

Mr. Opoku also highlighted the government’s technical support for farmers, noting that improved seeds and farming inputs are being supplied to ensure higher productivity and year-round cultivation.

“Our technical team has come up with the best quality and we are supplying that to our farmers. I have been to the field and I can tell you we have the technical know how to surpass what Burkina Faso is doing.”