{"id":116025,"date":"2026-02-19T08:33:36","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T08:33:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=116025"},"modified":"2026-02-19T08:33:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T08:33:36","slug":"take-advantage-of-growing-opportunities-in-agriculture-deputy-agric-minister-tells-youth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=116025","title":{"rendered":"Take advantage of growing opportunities in agriculture \u2013 Deputy Agric Minister tells youth"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>2 Minute, 52 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>
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The Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, John Dumelo, has called on Ghanaian youth to take advantage of expanding opportunities within Ghana\u2019s agricultural sector, stressing that farming remains one of the most viable and sustainable business ventures in the country.<\/p>\n

Addressing a town hall meeting organised by The Ghanaian Farmer in partnership with the People Building Institute on Saturday, February 14, 2026, at the British Council in Accra, Mr Dumelo emphasised that agriculture must be viewed not merely as subsistence work but as a serious and profitable enterprise.<\/p>\n

He noted that government initiatives are increasingly structured to make the sector more attractive to young people, offering access to land, training, improved seedlings, mechanisation services, and financial support schemes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe National Youth Authority, Ghana Enterprise Agency, Outgrower Value Chain Fund (OVCF) at the Ministry of Agriculture, have money from donor partners, given to banks to lend to farmers. When you approach them with good plans after starting your farm already, it\u2019s easy to get the loans and grants.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to him, young people interested in agriculture can engage with district agricultural offices, register with relevant farmer groups and cooperatives, and participate in government-backed programmes designed to support start-ups and agribusiness expansion.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe opportunities are there,\u201d he said. \u201cFrom crop production to livestock, poultry, aquaculture, agro-processing and agritech, there is room for innovation and growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Dumelo underscored the importance of repositioning agriculture as a modern business driven by technology, value addition and strong market linkages.<\/p>\n

He encouraged the youth to explore dry season farming and areas such as greenhouse farming, irrigation, digital marketing of farm produce and food processing, which offer higher returns and year-round income potential.<\/p>\n

\u201cDry season farming is the best. Sometimes when I go to the North, the market women prepay for produce before the farmer starts. Once you have your farm close to the water body, acquire a pump and you will make a lot of money,\u201d John Dumelo advised.<\/p>\n

He further highlighted that agriculture remains indispensable because of its central role in national food security and economic stability.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople eat every day,\u201d he stressed. \u201cThat alone should tell you that agriculture will always be relevant. It is not a seasonal business; it is a necessity.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Deputy Minister urged financial institutions and private sector actors to support young agripreneurs with affordable credit and mentorship, while also encouraging participants to adopt a long-term vision with workable plans when entering the sector.<\/p>\n

The town hall meeting assembled farmers, investors and agritech companies along the agriculture value chain in Ghana.<\/p>\n

They engaged the Deputy Minister on issues including access to capital, post-harvest losses, market access and climate change resilience.<\/p>\n

He discussed available financial packages from state agencies specifically designed for the youth.<\/p>\n

While addressing the disappearance of local seeds based on a question from a participant, he said climate change is a major factor.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why we brought improved seeds to withstand Ghana\u2019s temperature and rainfall patterns. These seeds are not GMO. They\u2019re locally produced for efficiency,\u201d the Deputy Minister added.<\/p>\n

Organisers of the program, The Ghanaian Farmer and People Building Institute said the forum formed part of efforts to bridge the gap between policymakers and young farmers, and to inspire more youth to see agriculture as a viable career path to create jobs and reduce unemployment.<\/p>\n

They disclosed that the town hall meeting with policy makers will be replicated across the country.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, John Dumelo, has called on Ghanaian youth to take advantage of expanding opportunities within Ghana\u2019s agricultural sector, stressing that farming remains one of the most viable and sustainable business ventures in the country<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[163,17164,1883,17165,10,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-116025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-agriculture","category-growing","category-national","category-opportunities","category-politics","category-popular"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=116025"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116025\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=116025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=116025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=116025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}