GHANA – Ghana’s grain sector was severely impacted by prolonged droughts in 2023 and 2024, with losses predicted at 22.2 billion cedis (US$1.3 billion).
Emily Boahen, Executive Secretary of the Ghana Grains Council (GCC), shared these figures during the 2024 edition of the Ghana Grains Forum, held in Accra on October 15.
In Ghana, cereals are the backbone of the population’s diet, much like in other sub-Saharan African nations, where they serve as a key source of food security.
According to Boahen, the prolonged droughts have affected 1.8 million hectares of agricultural land, predominantly in the Savannah and northern regions of Ghana.
According to GCC data, the drought in 2024 caused a 35% decline in yields of maize, the main cereal grown and consumed in Ghana. At the same time, rice yields fell by 25%, while millet and sorghum yields both declined by about 20%.
For the same reason, recent projections by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) predict a 36% drop in the local corn harvest to 2.3 million tonnes in the 2024/2025 crop year.
According to official data, 8 regions in the north of the country, which provide 62% of the national grain supply, are affected by this climatic phenomenon in 2024.
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture, in a statement issued on August 26, highlighted that the drought has most severely impacted regions crucial to the country’s food security as they produce a majority of the maize supply.
“We are seeing the worst of the climatic conditions in the north, which threatens not only local farmers’ livelihoods but also national food security,” said a ministry spokesperson.
Faced with this situation, the Ministry of Agriculture unveiled last August a $500 million emergency intervention program to support vulnerable farmers and address the looming grain shortage.
This program aims to support vulnerable farmers and mitigate the potential for a nationwide food crisis. The initiative will focus on providing drought-resistant seeds, expanding irrigation infrastructure, and offering financial aid to smallholder farmers, who are disproportionately affected by these climatic shocks.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Ghana’s total cereal production in 2023 was projected to reach 5.8 million tonnes, with maize typically accounting for more than half of this volume.
However, with the current drought conditions, this projection will likely be revised downward, further stressing the need for immediate intervention.
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