The Ministry of Trade, Industries and Agribusiness, working with key sector ministries, state agencies, and private-sector partners, is positioning Feed Industries as a central delivery pillar of Ghana’s 24-Hour Economy agenda.
The initiative is aimed at scaling up the supply of industrial raw materials, sustaining round-the-clock factory operations, creating decent and long-term employment opportunities for the youth, and strengthening Ghana’s export drive.
As part of this strategy, the Government of Ghana has secured more than 15,000 acres of land in the Central Region, with additional parcels across other regions, to roll out a Youth in Exotic Crops and Agro-Industrial Value Chain Programme. The programme is designed specifically to supply factories directly, rather than focusing solely on farm-level production.
Feed Industries as the raw-material backbone of the 24-hour economy
The Feed Industries model redefines agriculture as a structured industrial input system, ensuring that factories operating day and night are not disrupted by raw-material shortages. The framework supports:
- Large-scale, coordinated production of industrial and export-grade crops
- Reliable, year-round supply of raw materials to processing plants
- Reduced factory downtime and improved operational efficiency
- A strategic shift from raw commodity exports to value-added processing for export markets
Priority crops under the programme include pineapple, citrus, avocado, mango, coconut, papaya, ginger, and other key inputs for the food, beverage, and agro-processing sectors.
Anchoring 24-hour production: Ekumfi and CCPL
Within the Central Region’s agro-industrial corridor, Ekumfi Fruit & Juices Ltd and Central Citrus Processing Ltd (CCPL) are designated as anchor processors under the Feed Industries framework. These firms are positioned as industrial off-takers and production anchors, benefiting from:
- Long-term and predictable raw-material supply
- Stable input volumes and pricing
- Enhanced competitiveness through continuous 24-hour factory operations
- Structured youth involvement through contract farming and shared-grower systems
18,000+ youth jobs with integrated accommodation enclaves
Beyond production, the Feed Industries programme is structured to generate over 18,000 direct and indirect youth jobs, supported by a Youth Agro-Industrial Enclave Model that combines employment with dignified living conditions.
The model includes youth employment opportunities across farming, mechanisation, aggregation, processing, logistics, quality control, packaging, and exports, alongside on-site and near-site accommodation enclaves within production and processing zones. Housing infrastructure is designed to support shift-based, day-and-night operations, lower transport costs, and improve worker safety, productivity, and job retention.
This approach ensures that labour availability, welfare, and living conditions actively support—rather than constrain—continuous industrial production.
Through this ministry-led collaboration, Feed Industries is advancing national development priorities by expanding raw-material supply for 24-hour industrial production, creating sustainable and non-casual youth employment, driving import substitution in juices, concentrates, and food inputs, increasing export revenues from processed agro-industrial products, and establishing a scalable national model linking Feed Industries → 24-Hour Processing → Export Growth.
Source: Joy News
