Invest in irrigation and storage infrastructure - AGI to government

The Chief Executive Officer of Debbies Products Limited and Sector Chair for Cosmetics at the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Moses Atobrah, has urged the government to invest in irrigation and agricultural storage infrastructure to support year-round farming and reduce Ghana's dependence on food imports.

According to him, the country's continued reliance on rain-fed agriculture remains a major challenge to agricultural production and industrial growth, as manufacturers are often forced to import raw materials that could be produced locally.

Speaking on channel one Tv on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, he stressed the need for a shift towards irrigation-based farming to ensure consistent agricultural output throughout the year.

“We still depend on the sun and the rain for agriculture. We should be depending on irrigation so we can farm all year round,” he stated.

He further explained that seasonal farming continues to create shortages of key agricultural products, affecting both consumers and industries that depend on local raw materials.

“What happens is today it’s raining, in the next three months there’s a lot of tomatoes, the next season it’s not raining and we have to import tomatoes from Burkina. When they ban it, it’s a problem. Then they ban it and we have to send delegations to go and beg,” he said.

Atobrah also called on government to introduce incentives that would encourage private investment in irrigation systems. “Government can easily help this by saying, look, farmers, if you are bringing irrigation materials for the next two years, no import duty. Simple decisions like that and people look for their own money and bring these things to feed us,” he explained.

He revealed that some food processing companies continue to import maize due to concerns about the quality of locally stored produce.

“I have friends in some leading cereal or food processing companies right here in Ghana who tell me they still import maize,” he disclosed.

According to him, poor storage conditions often lead to aflatoxin contamination, making locally produced maize unsuitable for industrial use.

He therefore called for increased investment in silos and modern storage facilities through institutions such as the National Buffer Stock Company to reduce post-harvest losses, support local industries and strengthen food security.

ANAS

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