Addressing Ghana’s state in the agricultural sector, President Mahama has assured that under his administration, the agricultural sector will see a considerable and immeasurable growth.
In his address, he highlighted the resource paradox that Ghana faces as a country rich in natural resources. According to him, the country spends an alarming rate of over 2 billion dollars on food imports.
“Mr. Speaker, Ghana has fertile lands, abundant water, and human resources. Yet, we face a paradox – our food import bill continues to soar, reaching alarming levels of over 2 billion dollars annually. In addition, rising food inflation is burdening households and threatening livelihoods.”
He has, however, indicated his administration’s resolve the issue.
To address the alarming levels of food import bills that Ghana pays annually, and to resolve the resource paradox, president Mahama says his administration seeks to implement several well-considered policies to grow the agricultural sector, including agro-processing. He mentioned that these policies will be supported by reliable power supply to meet Ghana’s needs, while advancing exports to earn foreign exchange and strengthen the country’s economy.
He highlighted that the Agriculture for Economic Transformation Agenda (AETA), seeks to modernize agriculture and to enhance agri-business, ensure food security, lower food inflation, boost exports and create sustainable jobs for the people of Ghana.
Another mechanism through which the country can see a remedy, is the Feed Ghana Program, which according to the president, would increase food production and reduce prices through conjoined projects like the Grain Development Project, which focuses on rice, maize and soyabean production.
He also mentioned the Vegetable Development Project, which will tackle crops such as tomatoes, onions and pepper.
Revealing his administration’s plan on poultry production, the President mentioned that the Poultry Farm to Table Project, will reduce poultry imports and increase local production. He revealed that, “Ghana imports 95% of its poultry needs, which cost over 300 million dollars annually. To reverse this trend, government plans to revamp the poultry sector by investing in hatches, feed mills, processing and distribution, working towards eliminating poultry imports.”
He stated that the “Nkok) Nkitsinkitsi” Project will cover 55,000 households, producing eggs and fresh poultry for the market, to help reduce the 300 dollars Ghana spends in importing chicken annually. President Mahama also highlighted that his administration seeks to strengthen the relationship between agriculture and industry by prioritising value addition, processing, and distribution. He assured, “This will position agriculture as profitable and appealing, making it more attractive to our young people.”
The President also mentioned that his administration will implement an Agri-Nest Program to facilitate access to land banks by young farmers, to connect graduate to the opportunities in the agricultural value chain and promote greenhouse agriculture among the youth. According to him, this initiative will benefit approximately 30,000 young people in Ghana.
These are some of the many reforms in the agriculture sector that President Mahama has mentioned that will be implemented during his administration.
Source: Dehotpress
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