Maize farmers in the Atebubu Amantin Municipality of the Bono East Region are confronting a severe price collapse, with a bag of maize now selling for between GH₵300 and GH₵400, down from GH₵1,000 to GH₵1,200 in 2024, representing a decline of approximately 67 percent despite a bumper harvest.
The dramatic price drop has left many farmers unable to recover production costs, with warnings that the situation threatens livelihoods and could undermine local food security without urgent government intervention, according to Dickson Williams Agyei, Chairman of the Atebubu Area Farmers Association.
Agyei made the remarks during the association’s New Year meeting held in Atebubu in early February 2026, describing the price decline as devastating for farmers who rely on maize cultivation as their primary source of income.
The situation has pushed many farmers into debt, he stated, explaining that producers were struggling to repay loans and cover basic expenses linked to land preparation, inputs, and harvesting. He noted that some farmers were already considering scaling down or abandoning maize production altogether as a coping strategy, a move he warned could worsen the situation in the long term.
If this problem is not addressed immediately, maize production in this area could collapse, Agyei cautioned. That would have serious implications for food availability, because most households here depend heavily on maize.
Checks by the Daily Graphic at Akokoa and surrounding farming communities in the municipality confirmed that prices of the two major staples, maize and beans, have dropped by more than half compared to previous years. Beans, which sold for between GH₵2,500 and GH₵3,000 per bag in 2024, are now selling for between GH₵700 and GH₵1,000.
Ebenezer Wayome, a farmer at Akokoa, stated that even last year, when prices were not good, it was still better than the current situation. The price collapse comes despite favorable weather conditions and strong yields across the municipality during the 2025 cropping season.
The municipality is one of Ghana’s major maize producing zones and serves as a key food basket for the Bono East Region. The weekly market at Atebubu is a major marketing center where commodities produced in the municipality are sent for export to other districts and regions. Traders from across the country and outside Ghana come to trade and buy foodstuffs for export.
To stabilize the sector, Agyei appealed for government intervention, particularly in the form of input support, improved access to affordable seeds, and measures to reduce production costs. He also called on authorities to explore export opportunities and structured markets that would help farmers secure fair and stable prices for their produce.
Agyei stressed that without timely support, declining producer prices could discourage farming activities and deepen rural poverty in the municipality. Agriculture is the mainstay of the Atebubu Amantin Municipality economy, employing about 70 percent of the economically active labor force, according to data from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA).
The price collapse has been attributed to market oversupply following bumper harvests across multiple maize producing regions in Ghana during the 2025 cropping season. Good rainfall distribution and favorable growing conditions led to higher than average yields, creating a glut that overwhelmed local demand and depressed prices.
Market analysts suggest that the absence of strategic grain reserves and structured off take mechanisms has exacerbated the situation, leaving farmers vulnerable to market volatility and price crashes during periods of abundance.
The government launched the Feed Ghana Programme in April 2025, which aims to increase food production for both domestic consumption and export. The initiative involves significant government investment in staple crops such as maize, rice, sorghum, soya beans, cassava, yam, and potato.
Under the program, the government provides quality planting and breeding materials, tractor services, and agricultural inputs to farmers at an agreed cost. Beneficiaries are required to repay in kind with produce from their farms on an agreed date.
The Atebubu Amantin Municipal Office of the Department of Agriculture sensitized communities including Akokoa, Kumfia, and Abamba on the Feed Ghana Programme in July 2025. Bright Atta Boateng, Municipal Head of the Department, highlighted that plans to make the municipality one of the first beneficiaries of the proposed Farmer Service Centers present a significant opportunity for local farmers to improve agricultural output and increase incomes.
However, farmers have expressed concerns about the viability of the program based on the failures of similar past interventions where beneficiaries defaulted on repayments, causing those programs to collapse.
The price crisis comes at a particularly difficult time for the municipality, which also suffered significant crop losses due to bushfires in early January 2026. The fires destroyed maize farms at Paprabom Kura, Atebubu Muruchusu, and Congo farming communities, with crops valued at about GH₵37,000 lost, according to the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO).
The Ghanaian maize market decreased by 13.3 percent to $890 million in 2024, ending a three year rising trend, according to market analysis data. The decline reflects both reduced export demand and domestic price pressures affecting producer revenues.
