The government of Ghana will later today, Tuesday, November, 25, 2025, hold talks with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the World Food Programme (WFP) as part of renewed efforts to tackle the oversupply of grains and cereals on the Ghanaian market.

During the Government Accountability Series on Monday, November 24, 2025, the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, revealed that the discussions with ECOWAS would focus on determining immediate interventions to support farmers struggling with excessive stocks of maize, rice, and eggs.

He noted that the glut had resulted in significant post-harvest losses across the country.

According to him, the National Food Buffer Stock Company had already begun procurement processes to absorb part of the surplus and ease the pressure on producers.

“We have spoken to the WFP, who are also engaging their counterparts in other jurisdictions to see what they can do to mop up the excess,” he stated.

“We have also invited ECOWAS because they have a responsibility to maintain strategic reserves against emergencies. ECOWAS officials will meet me today to discuss what measures they can take to support the process.”

He added that the ministry was in talks with other West African and African governments, some of whom were experiencing cereal shortages and had expressed interest in procuring from Ghana to shore up their reserves.

Meanwhile, Mr Opoku announced the inauguration of the PBC Shea Board and the revival of the PBC Shea Butter Factory — originally established in 2015 by President John Dramani Mahama but collapsed in 2019. The factory has been restored over the past 10 months.

According to the minister, the facility has already secured contracts to supply shea butter to the Netherlands and other international markets.

He described Ghana’s shea butter as “premium” globally and said the government was taking steps to expand processing capacity to meet rising global demand.

Measures are also being considered to restrict the export of raw shea nuts to boost local value addition, he noted.