The National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) has called for urgent investment in Ghana's food storage infrastructure, citing the country's limited storage capacity. Deputy Chief Executive Officer of NAFCO, Osmond Amuah, warned that the current capacity poses a challenge to Ghana's ability to build adequate emergency food reserves in the event of disruptions to global food supply.
Ghana consumes more than six million metric tonnes of maize and rice annually, creating the need for significant storage capacity to ensure food security during emergencies. The ideal global standard is for countries to maintain enough food reserves to feed their population for at least 90 days. This is particularly important for Ghana, given the potential for disruptions such as pandemics, wars, or droughts to affect the country's ability to import food.
Disruptions to global food supplies could have severe consequences for Ghana, which relies on imports to meet its food needs. Mr. Amuah noted that it typically takes eight to twelve weeks to bring produce from other parts of the world, emphasizing the need for adequate reserves to sustain the population while waiting for imported food supplies to arrive. Ghana's monthly requirement for maize and rice alone is more than 500,000 metric tonnes.
However, the country's current storage capacity remains far below that requirement, with available warehouse space not exceeding 50,000 metric tonnes. This significant gap between national food requirements and available storage capacity makes it urgent for the government to invest in warehouses, silos, and other storage infrastructure. Even if Ghana had enough resources to purchase food for an emergency reserve, the country would still face the challenge of where to store it.
NAFCO has already taken steps to improve its storage capacity using internally generated funds. The company undertook extensive renovation of its storage facilities, increasing its functioning capacity from less than 10,000 or 12,000 metric tonnes to about 50,000 metric tonnes. Mr. Amuah believes additional government support could enable NAFCO to significantly expand the country's food storage capacity.
Strengthening national storage infrastructure would help Ghana build a more resilient food system and ensure that the country can continue feeding its population during major emergencies and disruptions to global food supplies. The Deputy CEO emphasized the need for support in the provision of additional warehouses, silos, and appropriate equipment to strengthen Ghana's capacity to store food.
The Buffer Stock Company's call for expansion of national storage capacity comes as the country seeks to address food security concerns. With the right investment, NAFCO could play a critical role in ensuring Ghana's food security, particularly in times of crisis.
Key points
- The current storage capacity in Ghana is below 50,000 metric tonnes.
- Ghana consumes over six million metric tonnes of maize and rice annually.
- The ideal global standard for emergency food reserves is to feed the population for at least 90 days.
