Buffer stock rallies support for national food reserve
The National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) has been rallying support through engagements with development partners and other strategic stakeholders towards the revamp of the National Food Security Reserve (NSFR).
In the latest engagement last Friday, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NAFCO, George Abradu-Otoo, held joint discussions with officials from the Dakar Regional Office of the World Food Programme (WFP), the Feed Ghana Programme (FGP) Secretariat and the Architectural and Engineering Services Ltd (AESL) in Accra.
The meeting discussed the comprehensive plan by the government to rehabilitate warehouses and silos, and the purchase of food stocks, as well as the provision of facilities such as laboratory equipment and digital systems for tracking and monitoring.
The government, through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, earlier this year, pledged the release of GH₵100 million for the purchases of selected grains to be stocked in the revived national strategic food security reserve, which is currently said to be empty.
National Food Security Reserve
The National Food Security Reserve is a dedicated stock of food commodities kept by the NAFCO to be used by the state in emergency and lean situations.
The NFSR is also a strategy to address post-harvest losses and helps to control inflation.
Since assuming office in February this year, the new NAFCO leadership has held engagements with some donors, including the WFP, ECOWAS and the Korean International Co-operation Agency (KOICA), seeking to activate the national food security reserve.
The meeting with WFP followed a similar one in May this year with the Regional Head of Resilience and Food Systems at WFP, Dr Ones Karuho.
Food buffer
Mr Abradu-Otoo told the meeting that the national food reserve acted as a buffer against price fluctuations, provided a safety net during crises, and supported farmers and consumers.
“By stabilising food prices, reserves contribute to the overall economic stability and reduce the risk of food-related social unrest,” he remarked.
The National Coordinator of the FGP, Bright Demordzi, said the NAFCO would play a critical role in the government’s Agriculture for Economic Transformation Agenda (AETA); hence, the commitment of funds to restock the national food reserve.
The Regional Procurement Officer of WFP in Dakar, Wambui Mbugna, and the Regional Supply Chain Officer, Nuru Jumaine, reiterated the commitment by WFP to assist NAFCO in reviving its national food reserve, saying, “It is our desire to see Africans feed Africans”.
The Deputy CEO of NAFCO, Osmond Amuah, said a strong and fortified food reserve in Ghana would strengthen the overall food security situation in the sub-region.
