Gov’t constructs first 60,000-tonne silo to combat drought impact – Agric Minister
Agriculture Minister Bryan Acheampong has announced that government is constructing a 60,000-tonne grain silo to help stabilise food supplies and mitigate the impact of the ongoing drought crisis.
Speaking in an interview on Thursday, he stated that the new silo, which will cost nearly $70 million and is set to be completed within 12 months, will serve as a strategic reserve to support the country’s food systems during future climate challenges.
“This will be the first of its kind in Ghana, and it is designed to hold up to 60,000 metric tonnes of grain,” Mr Acheampong disclosed.
“We had zero before, and now we are setting up this strategic reserve to ensure food security.”
The Abetifi MP also highlighted several other measures being implemented by government to address the effects of the drought.
Among these is the Ghana Agriculture and Agribusiness Platform, an initiative that aims to enrol farmers nationwide and communicate critical farming instructions directly to them through voice notes in their local languages.
“We are setting up the Ghana Agriculture and Agribusiness Platform to send voice messages to farmers in languages they understand—whether it’s Dagbani, Twi, or any local dialect,” Mr Acheampong explained.
“This will ensure that next time, farmers won’t plant too early or too late. For example, if planting should start in August, farmers will know not to plant in July, as they did this year,” he said.
The Minister underscored the importance of these new communication strategies, noting that previous advisories sent to farmers were often ignored or misunderstood due to language barriers.
“If you give me a note in French telling me to run out of this office, I might still be sitting here by the time the accident happens. That’s what has been happening with our farmers. We need to communicate effectively in their languages,” he added.
Mr Acheampong also pointed out the success of the government’s small earth dam projects under the “One District, One Dam” initiative, which helped mitigate the impact of last year’s drought.
“It would have been worse if those dams were not there,” he said.
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“Last year, all the targets we set, all the investments we made, yielded results. Maize prices dropped significantly, from GH¢450 per 50kg bag to about GH¢145-150. Farmers everywhere were complaining that the price was too low, so we had to intervene and stabilise the market.”
He assured Ghanaians that government is committed to expanding irrigation infrastructure, developing more land, and integrating crop calendars with weather data to ensure that the farming season aligns with actual climatic conditions.
“We are putting systems in place to avert future challenges,” Bryan Acheampong said.
“This dry spell will not derail the investments we are making in our food systems. By next year, even if a similar drought occurs, we will be better prepared.”
The Minister concluded by noted that these efforts are part of the broader Food Systems Resilience Program funded by the World Bank, which aims to create a more sustainable agricultural sector in Ghana.