Belarus proposes supplying 3,000 farm machines, building cocoa processing plant in Ghana
Belarus proposes supplying thousands of agricultural machines and building a cocoa processing facility in Ghana as both countries explore deeper trade, agribusiness, and industrial cooperation.
GHANA – Belarus has proposed supplying Ghana with approximately 3,000 units of agricultural machinery and establishing a cocoa processing facility in the country following a high-level two-day visit to Accra by a Belarusian delegation.
Belarusian Foreign Affairs Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov met with President John Dramani Mahama on the first day of the visit, delivering greetings from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko ahead of Ghana’s Independence Day celebrations.
During the meeting, President Mahama identified agriculture as a key area for bilateral cooperation and proposed the development of a five-year partnership programme in the sector.
Mahama also indicated that Ghana expects to place its first major order for Belarusian agricultural machinery later this year as part of efforts to strengthen mechanisation in the country’s farming sector.
In addition to machinery supply, Ghana proposed that Belarus consider establishing cocoa processing facilities in the country. The facilities would process cocoa locally while supplying finished products to Belarus and other international markets.
Belarus also expressed interest in importing Ghanaian agricultural commodities including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and cocoa beans, while expanding industrial cooperation through its membership in the Eurasian Economic Union.
The delegation also held discussions with Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture John Dumelo on potential agribusiness collaboration.
During the meeting, the Belarusian side outlined its agricultural capabilities, including the supply of milk powder, poultry meat, pedigree breeding materials, combined animal feed, and veterinary drugs.
Dumelo emphasised that any Belarusian agricultural machinery supplied to Ghana must be adapted to local operating conditions. He also highlighted the government’s plans to expand irrigation systems to improve agricultural productivity.
“We plan to open 12 mechanisation hubs this year as part of a broader chain of Farmer Service Centres under the Feed Ghana Initiative,” Dumelo said.
The two sides also discussed the creation of a joint trade and economic commission, agreements on investment protection and double taxation, and the establishment of partnerships between the chambers of commerce of both countries.
Talks further covered visa facilitation arrangements aimed at improving business mobility between the two nations.
Separately, Ghana plans to deploy more than 4,000 farm machines across 50 districts in 2026 through the Feed Ghana Initiative.
The government has also signed an agreement with Turkish manufacturer Hattat Traktör to assemble tractors locally as part of efforts to strengthen domestic agricultural mechanisation.
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