Farmers Call for Swift Rollout of 2026 Budget Promises to Ease Production Costs

Stakeholders in Ghana’s agricultural sector are urging the government to speed up the implementation of key agricultural initiatives announced in the 2026 Budget, arguing that many of the interventions have yet to deliver meaningful support to farmers.

The appeal follows the presentation of the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review by Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, as farmers maintain that rising production costs continue to undermine efforts to improve food security and lower food prices.

Council Member and former President of the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG), Wepia Awal Adugwala, said several major interventions outlined in the budget, including the establishment of 50 Farmers’ Service Centres, the construction of 1,000 kilometres of farm roads, and the expansion of irrigation infrastructure, have either experienced delays or are yet to be fully implemented.

Mr. Adugwala noted that farmers have not yet felt the impact of these government commitments.

He stressed that the high cost of agricultural inputs, particularly machinery, remains a major challenge, making it difficult for farmers to reduce the prices of food commodities.

“On paper, inflation may appear stable, but the reality for farmers is very different. The cost of machinery is too high, and this directly affects how much food can be sold on the market,” he said.

Mr. Adugwala also identified limited access to affordable credit as a significant obstacle confronting farmers. He explained that many financial institutions remain hesitant to provide loans to the agricultural sector, making it difficult for farmers to invest in modern equipment or expand their operations.

He warned that without deliberate government measures to reduce production costs and improve access to financing, efforts to stabilise food prices would continue to face setbacks.

The concerns were echoed by the poultry industry, where the immediate past President of the Poultry Farmers Association of Ghana, Napoleon Agyeman, said access to affordable financing remains one of the biggest barriers to the sector’s growth.

According to Mr. Agyeman, many small-scale poultry farmers are unable to purchase mechanised equipment because of financial limitations, forcing them to depend on labour-intensive production methods that increase operating costs.

“This situation affects productivity and ultimately impacts the prices of poultry products on the market,” he stated.

He appealed to the government, financial institutions and development partners to introduce affordable loan packages with flexible repayment terms to enable farmers to expand production, improve efficiency and strengthen the country’s food security.

The farmers maintain that while the agricultural commitments contained in the 2026 Budget are promising, their success will depend on how quickly they are implemented and whether they provide practical support to farmers across the country.

By: Paulina Armah/ Radio1.