Ghana has historically lacked a functional national food reserve despite sufficient agricultural output, according to George Abradu-Otoo of the National Food Buffer Stock Company.
Mr Abradu-Otoo said the absence of reserves has left the country vulnerable to emergencies, noting that Ghana has often reported “practically zero” food reserves at international forums.
“Countries like Burkina Faso, Mali and Nigeria, even those poorer than us, have reserves,” he said.
He credited current efforts under President John Dramani Mahama to establish a national buffer stock system, describing the initiative as critical for food security and disaster response.
The company has so far received about 300 million Ghana cedis in funding but requires an estimated 1.5 billion cedis to operate effectively, he said.
Mr Abradu-Otoo emphasized that improving storage infrastructure remains a major hurdle, explaining that without adequate warehouses, large-scale food procurement from farmers cannot be sustained.
He said plans are underway to rehabilitate existing facilities and expand storage capacity nationwide.
