NSA operates 14 farms nationwide, expands crop and poultry production

The National Service Authority (NSA) says it is expanding its agricultural operations across the country, with activities covering crop production, poultry and livestock farming.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Monday, April 20, the Deputy Director-General in charge of Operations, Lieutenant Colonel Moses Dok Nach Kpeungu, said the Authority currently operates about 14 farms nationwide.

He explained that the farms are engaged in the production of maize, soya beans and rice, with the Authority also venturing into tomato cultivation.

“We have about 14 farms across the country. Basically, we do maize production, we are into soya and rice. We are venturing into tomato,” he said.

The NSA’s farming activities are spread across several regions. In Accra, at Papao, the Authority runs a large poultry farm with about 20,000 layers and 25,000 broilers, alongside a piggery with 65 pigs.

A processing plant with the capacity to handle 500 birds per hour is also under construction and is about 75 per cent complete.

“The interesting aspect is that the birds that we are producing at Papao, we produce our own feed,” he said, explaining that maize grown on NSA farms is used to feed the poultry, creating an integrated production chain.

He added that the Authority has installed feed mills and is also utilising solar power to support operations.

In Agogo, the NSA operates a 20,000-acre farm mainly for maize production and some rice cultivation, with plans to introduce greenhouse tomato farming.

“We don’t want the open field type of tomato production. We want to go into the greenhouse,” he explained.

However, he noted challenges, including damage to irrigation infrastructure and disruptions from herdsmen in the area.

“We have irrigation… but last year, herdsmen gave us trouble. They were tampering with the irrigation facilities,” he said.

Other farming sites include Damango, where about 250 acres are under maize cultivation; Kpalbi, with 200 acres; and Karaga in the Northern Region, with about 500 acres of maize and plans for rice production.

In Navrongo, around 300 acres are under maize cultivation, with plans to expand into tomato production using the Tono irrigation scheme.

The NSA is also investing in poultry production to reduce the country’s dependence on imported frozen chicken.

Major Kpeungu noted that Ghana spends significant amounts on chicken imports and questioned why local production could not meet demand.

“Why can’t we produce our own birds for consumption?” he asked.

At the Papao farm, eggs are sold at GH₵50 per crate, while live chickens go for GH₵100 and dressed chickens for GH₵120.

“As for the eggs, we don’t have a problem. Sometimes you get to the farm, and there’s none,” he said, indicating strong demand.

Despite this, he acknowledged that scaling up chicken sales remains a challenge, partly due to limited awareness and the need for bulk buyers.

“I think we have not created enough awareness,” he said, adding that large volumes require commercial off-takers.

He also revealed that an initial plan under the Mastercard Foundation-supported programme to secure off-takers for poultry products has faced setbacks, though efforts are underway to address them.

On concerns about potential oversupply, particularly with expanded tomato production, Major Kpeungu said the Authority is engaging potential buyers.

“We are in consultation with some off-takers… I’m sure even what we produce, we may not be able to meet the demand,” he said.

He explained that tomato cultivation had previously been used mainly for training national service personnel but is now being scaled up for commercial production.

“We were not actually doing tomato in commercial terms… now that we are in this situation, we want to go into commercial production,” he said.

He added that the goal is to reduce imports and strengthen local supply.

“At least it will limit or reduce the amount of tomatoes that we import into the country,” he said.

Major Kpeungu stressed the need for sustained investment and careful planning to ensure the success of the initiative.

“If we are strategic and we go through this process, we are not going to have problems,” he said.

He cited Nigeria as an example of a country that built local capacity before restricting chicken imports.

“They built capacity, and then they stopped importation… Nigeria depends solely on locally produced chicken,” he said.

For Ghana, he said a similar approach is required.

“It has to be meticulous and intentional. We must have the capacity before any restriction,” he added.

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