President-elect John Dramani Mahama spent the weekend before Christmas harvesting crops on his private farms at Yapei and Busunu in the Savannah Region, as he prepares to assume office on January 7, 2025.
In a video posted on Facebook, Mr Mahama is seen operating a combine harvester on the farm, which produces yellow maize for the poultry industry and soya beans.
“It has been a busy weekend for me all over the savannah area. Farmers are busy because the fires have started, and if you don’t get your crops in quickly, the bushfires will burn them. So, we’re harvesting soya bean and maize on this farm,” Mr Mahama explained in the video.
Mr Mahama revealed that the maize and soya beans harvested are supplied directly to Asutuare Farms in the Eastern Region for poultry feed. Additionally, he highlighted his growing interest in livestock farming.
“We started with the goats and the small ruminants, and we started with 300 of them. Right now, they have increased to almost 500. We have another 200 animals, and we started just a few months ago and so it’s looking positive,” he said, adding that there are plans to expand to sheep and eventually cattle.
He reiterated his focus on both livestock and crop production, noting the challenges and successes he has experienced in agriculture.
Reflecting on this year’s farming challenges, Mr Mahama cited drought as a major obstacle, particularly for maize and soya bean cultivation.
“After we planted, the rain came to a stop. It stopped raining, and so after germination of the crops, we had a problem with the maize and the soya beans being able to take root,” he said.
Despite the setback, irrigation saved a significant portion of the crops. “Luckily, we have some irrigation equipment here on the farm. We have three sets of irrigation equipment, so we rolled them out, and that is what has saved part of the crop, but we lost about 40 per cent of the crop,” he shared.
Mr Mahama announced plans to fully transition to irrigation farming in the coming year, leveraging boreholes and a nearby river to implement a pivot system that would enable multiple cropping cycles annually.
The President-elect also highlighted issues with after-sales service for agricultural machinery, stressing the need for improvements.
“A lot of the dealers sell you the equipment, but once you buy the equipment, sometimes you can’t get the parts, spare parts, and so what we need to do is to standardise the equipment and make sure that anybody who’s selling agricultural machinery in Ghana is able to offer the farmers after-sales service,” he said.
He shared his own challenges, mentioning that one of his combine harvesters was out of service due to a lack of spare parts locally. “If we say we’re waiting for them to bring the parts from outside, by the time the parts come, bushfire would have finished this crop,” he lamented.
To address such issues, Mr Mahama proposed establishing farmer service centres with specialised agencies to repair and operate machinery, allowing farmers to focus on cultivation.
“Today my headache is about this combine harvester, how to get a part. It should have been somebody’s headache, and mine should just be to procure my seeds, get my fertilisers, and be able to grow my crops,” he said.
Farming, Mr Mahama emphasised, is not just a vocation but a passion. “Farming is my life. I love it, and I’m sure if I didn’t go into politics, I’d be a full-time farmer,” he remarked.
He hinted at his post-presidency plans, stating, “In any case, when I retire, you know, after this stint, of course, I’m going to go into full-time farming. If you want to see me, you’ll have to come here onto the farm.”
As he prepares to lead Ghana once again, President-elect Mahama’s weekend on the farm offers a glimpse into his personal commitment to agriculture and his vision for advancing farming practices across the nation.
