Sam Jonah calls for renewed agricultural investment, recalls Operation Feed Yourself achievements

Sir Sam Jonah, a prominent business leader, called on successive governments to reinvest in Ghana's agricultural sector following the collapse of General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong's Operation Feed Yourself campaign. Delivering the Second General I.K. Acheampong Memorial Lecture in Accra, Jonah lamented that the country allowed a successful food production initiative to falter.

Launching in 1972, Operation Feed Yourself was a nationwide mobilisation effort that engaged traditional authorities and communities to achieve food self-sufficiency.

The campaign employed innovative strategies to encourage widespread participation, utilizing radio broadcasts, information vans, and heavily subsidised supplies of cutlasses, hoes, fertiliser, and seed. Feeder roads facilitated the transport of produce to markets, while government investment in water infrastructure, such as dams, further bolstered agricultural output.

Jonah highlighted the campaign's remarkable achievements, particularly in rice production. He noted that rice imports dropped to zero in 1975 and 1976, and that farmers in the North even exported rice and tomatoes to Upper Volta. Tamale earned the nickname "The Rice City" due to its success.

Jonah stressed that the campaign demonstrated Ghana's potential for significant improvements in domestic food production when agricultural policies were backed by sustained investment and nationwide engagement. He argued that the programme's decline represented a significant missed opportunity for the nation. Jonah contrasted the campaign's reported accomplishments with Ghana's current food import bill, estimated at US$2 billion annually, with rice and chicken being major contributors to this figure.

Operation Feed Yourself was initiated under Acheampong's military government in 1972 to promote domestic food production and reduce dependence on imports. Colonel Frank Bernasko played a crucial role in the campaign, aiding in mobilising traditional authorities and communities. Jonah's remarks were part of a broader appeal for renewed investment in agriculture and a stronger national commitment to food security.