Prez Mahama unveils major steps to end food glut, cuts sod for 24-hour markets

President John Dramani Mahama has outlined a raft of measures by the government to tackle the persistent glut of food crops, particularly maize and rice, in a move aimed at stabilising prices and protecting farmers’ incomes.

As part of the intervention, he said the government had allocated GH¢200 million to the National Buffer Stock Company to purchase excess maize and rice from farmers for onward distribution to public institutions, including secondary schools, hospitals, prisons and other state establishments.

He explained that the intervention was intended to absorb surplus produce from the market, reduce post-harvest losses and assure farmers of ready buyers.

Processing plants to absorb surplus produce

President Mahama said efforts were also underway to strengthen local processing capacity to deal with recurring surpluses.

He announced that a new rice mill currently under construction along the Yendi Road in Tamale, together with another planned facility in the Fumbisi Valley, would process locally produced rice for supply to the National Buffer Stock Company and the School Feeding Programme.

In addition, he disclosed plans to establish five maize processing factories across the country to absorb excess maize for both local consumption and export.

The President expressed confidence that the measures would significantly reduce the recurring glut and create fresh economic opportunities for farmers and agribusinesses.

He recalled that last year, the government released GH¢100 million to enable the Buffer Stock Company to purchase excess maize from farmers.

However, he noted that the company’s warehouses remained full as the country approached another planting season, raising concerns over further accumulation of unsold produce.

Resetting Ghana Tour

President Mahama made the announcement during his two-day Resetting Ghana Tour of the Northern Region last Saturday.

The visit, he said, was to thank the people of the region for supporting his reset agenda during the 2024 general election, as well as to cut sod for new projects and inspect ongoing works.

24-hour economy markets

As part of the tour, the President cut the sod for the construction of 24-hour economy model markets at Bimbilla and Kukuo in the Tamale Metropolis.

The facilities are expected to include storage warehouses, security posts, healthcare services and food courts to support round-the-clock commercial activity.

President Mahama described the markets as critical hubs for economic growth and trade, stressing that “the markets will strengthen the agricultural value chain by providing farmers with reliable market access, reducing post-harvest losses and improving incomes”.

He said the project formed part of a broader national plan to establish similar markets in all 261 districts across the country.

“Everywhere we have our traditional markets, traders gather once or twice a week, but we intend to build markets that operate around the clock to stimulate economic activity.
The plan is to establish similar markets in all the 261 districts across the country to promote continuous commercial activities,” he said.

He emphasised that effective marketing remained central to agricultural growth, noting that farmers could not thrive without dependable market access.

Tamale water supply challenge

Touching on the water crisis in Tamale, President Mahama reiterated the government’s commitment to resolving the long-standing supply challenges in the metropolis.

He explained that although a €277 million facility secured by the previous administration for the Tamale water project had been withdrawn following Ghana’s debt default, the current government had resolved to mobilise resources locally to execute the project.

According to him, the new system would provide an additional 30 million gallons of water daily to the city.

As an interim measure, he said faulty pumps at the Dalun Water Treatment Plant would be replaced to improve supply, while efforts were also underway to draw water from Yapei to Tamale South Constituency and the wider metropolis.

Healthcare support

On healthcare, the President disclosed that a new catheterisation laboratory (cath lab) had been procured for the Tamale Teaching Hospital to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of heart-related conditions.

He said the facility would help reduce referrals to Accra and Kumasi.

President Mahama also clarified concerns over the distribution of tricycles under the Free Primary Healthcare Programme, explaining that the vehicles were meant to support health workers’ mobility in rural communities and not to serve as ambulances.

According to him, the tricycles would enable community health workers to move from one community to another to undertake outreach services such as screening and vaccination.

He further reiterated the government’s commitment to maintaining fiscal discipline and strengthening the economy to support national development.

Warning to contractors

For his part, the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, cautioned contractors against shoddy work and delays.

He warned that projects would be withdrawn from firms that failed to deliver on schedule.

President Mahama, who was accompanied by the Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, also inspected the progress of work on a 300-capacity three-storey hostel under construction at the Bimbilla EP College of Education.