Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, John Dumelo, says government's agricultural strategy centres on feeding the local industry as the country pushes for a stronger and more structured sector.

He says the national target is clear, and industry must sit at the heart of it.

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express, he said the theme driving the ministry’s work was chosen to reflect that priority.

“Well, the theme for this year's Farmers' Day was selected because, basically, we launched the Feed Ghana Programme this April in Techiman.

"The Programme encompasses everything that we want to do as a country, in terms of agriculture.”

He said the ministry is working with a simple order of action.

“The most important thing is feeding ourselves, feeding the industry, and then exporting the rest.” But he stressed that industry comes with a critical role.

“Feeding the industry is also very critical, because one, we need to add value to whatever it is that we produce.”

He said adding value is central to cutting waste.

“Now, adding value to whatever it is we produce would reduce post-harvest losses, which we are trying very hard to tackle.”

Dumelo also linked the message to recent events in the market space. “And also feeding ourselves, of course, recently, with the glut issue, I think there was just an abundance of food for some reason.”

For him, the next step is clear. “And so now the main focus is processing and feeding the industry and then exporting the rest.”

He believes the work is moving in the right direction. “And so I think everything is on course.”

The Deputy Minister said the ministry is committed to ensuring that food does not just reach the market but powers factories, reduces waste, and strengthens the entire value chain.