Inside tour of Health Minister's 4,000+ acres of largest rice farm in North East Region

Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has showcased his over 4,000-acre rice farm at Yagaba-Kubori in the North East Region. Speaking in an interview on Ayekoo on UTV on October 1, 2026, Akandoh said he was born into a farming family and grew up in a community where farming, particularly rice cultivation, was a major economic activity. He explained that his decision to venture into large-scale rice farming was influenced by Ghana’s reliance on imported rice. According to him, he saw an opportunity to make money while contributing to efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in the country’s agricultural sector. “I was born into farming because my father is a farmer. In my community, most of them were rice farmers. We had several wetlands and those lands could not be used for cocoa, so we had to use them for rice farming. “Most of the rice that we consume in Ghana is imported, so the market is here. I realised that if I engaged in rice farming, I could make money for myself,” he said. Akandoh, who is the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for the Juaboso Constituency in the Western North Region, said he began his farming journey in the region with about 200 to 300 acres. ‘I am ready to be sacked from the NPP’ – Chairman Butey “In Western North, I started farming with about 200 to 300 acres.” During the Ayekoo programme, Akandoh took the media crew on a tour of his more than 4,000-acre rice farm at Yagaba-Kubori in the North East Region. He explained that his move to the area followed discussions with several people while he was a Member of Parliament. According to him, some of the rice he produced during his time in Parliament was purchased by fellow MPs, which encouraged him to expand his farming operations. “When I was in Parliament, most of my rice was bought by the MPs. So, I spoke to a lot of people about looking for land and my former colleague, a Member of Parliament, Tanko, told me to come to his constituency. “The chiefs received me nicely and gave me land,” he said. Akandoh added that he has several farms in the Western North Region in addition to his rice farm in the North East Region. “I also have farms in Western North,” he noted. He advised prospective farmers to carefully consider the suitability of a crop for a particular area before venturing into plantation or large-scale farming. According to him, one of the major challenges facing rice farmers on his farm is the destruction of crops by birds. He said the birds frequently feed on the rice, making their control one of the challenges associated with rice production. AM Inside Ghana’s Abandoned Engineering Powerhouse: What Went Wrong? Source: www.ghanaweb.com
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