This is almost 13 percent – US$104million – more compared to the same period last year.

Ghana, according to the USDA, is an importer of consumer-oriented food and agricultural products. These imports support local processors and nourish consumers.

Last year, the country’s consumer-oriented imports reached US$1.36billion, with import of U.S consumer-oriented products reaching US$86million, up 3 percent compared to 2022.

This makes the United States Ghana’s fourth largest supplier of consumer-oriented food products.

Indeed, the European Union (EU) and China remain U.S suppliers’ main competitors. The EU, the USDA said, has been the country’s largest supplier of consumer-oriented products – representing 31 percent of the market – followed by China (25 percent).

The EU’s key exports to the Ghanaian market include poultry, dairy products and several other essential imports.

However, the USDA is optimistic that imports of U.S origin food products are experiencing even stronger growth of 37 percent, coming in at over US$65million compared to the US$47million registered in 2023.

Ghana, like many other developing nations, relies heavily on import of food and consumer goods to feed its population. For instance, the country imports 55 percent of the rice that it consumes.