By Lawrence Odoom/Phalonzy
President John Dramani Mahama has disclosed a strategic initiative to establish five maize processing plants nationwide, a decisive intervention aimed at curbing post-harvest losses and fortifying Ghana’s agricultural value chain.
Addressing citizens during his Resetting Ghana Tour in the Northern Region on Saturday, April 18, President Mahama underscored that the factories will serve as a critical buffer to absorb excess maize from farmers, particularly during bumper harvests when market gluts trigger price collapses.
He explained that the plants will be instrumental in stabilizing market dynamics by mopping up surplus produce for storage or value addition.
“The government is planning to establish five maize processing plants. One solution is to buy the excess produce and sell it later during the lean season. The other solution is to buy it and process it,” he said.
The President further emphasized that the facilities are not envisioned solely for domestic consumption, but are strategically calibrated to exploit lucrative export markets.
“The plants will buy all the corn that is available from farmers and process it both for local consumption and for export. There’s an export market for corn flour, and we have excess corn, so we can process it and export it to bring dollars back to Ghana,” he added.
The move signals a pivot toward agro-industrialization, leveraging Ghana’s maize surplus to generate foreign exchange while insulating farmers from the perennial volatility of post-harvest seasons.