Agriculture

Rice is one of the major food staples consumed in Ghana, but one in which the country is food insecure, with consumption outstripping domestic production and 66% of rice consumed being imported. The economic costs of relying on imported rice are high and rising. Between 2007 and 2015 the amount spent on imported rice rose from $151m to $1.2bn...

The Ghanaian agriculture sector experienced consistent growth between 2014 and 2018. According to the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), agriculture grew by 5.5% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2018, outpacing general non-oil GDP growth the same year. Budget figures show agriculture grew by 6.1% in 2017, more than double the 2.9% in 2016,...

Against a backdrop of increasingly severe and financially straining climate events and natural disasters, technology is poised to play an important role in maintaining and improving global agricultural output. The adoption of digital and precision farming practices has been shown to improve crop resiliency, and boost productivity and incomes,...

Historically, agriculture has been the central driver of development since the nation gained independence in 1960. The country has an abundance of natural resources, and its fertile lands and favourable climate have allowed it to position itself as a key producer and exporter of some of the world’s premier soft commodities, ensuring a crucial...

A $200m loan from the World Bank is set to improve the efficiency and profitability of Côte d’Ivoire’s cashew industry, while the government is stepping up efforts to tackle the illegal smuggling of crops.

Beyond raw materials export, local processing is the key goal of the national authorities, with a target of having 50% of produce processed in-country by 2020. However, there are a number of challenges hindering the achievement of this goal.