Bryan Acheampong
APPLICATIONS have been opened for interested Ghanaian farmers to apply for enrolment into the second phase of government’s flagship programme, Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ2.0), the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has announced.
Sector minister, Bryan Acheampong, made the announcement at a press conference at the ministry’s enclave in Accra in which he invited all Ghanaian farmers to come aboard the programme, insisting that, “we can work towards a more prosperous and sustainable agricultural sector in Ghana.”
According to him, the phase two of the programme is anchored on five main strategic elements, including the inputs credit system which would see the direct input subsidy system used in the initial phase replaced with a zero-interest input credit system, with an aim of ensuring quality fertiliser, improved seed, and support services for farmers.
The storage and distribution infrastructure system would see warehouses and logistics established for the storage and distribution of produce, which includes takeover centres; whereas the off-take arrangements or commodity trading system would provide guaranteed market access and price stabilisation through improved market access and assured raw materials for processing.
Digitisation is also at the heart of the programme as a digitised platform – the Ghana Agriculture and Agribusiness Platform (GhAAP) – has been developed for a “smart farmer, smart farm” digitised agriculture approach.
A central digital platform, the minister noted, would be used for real-time data capturing, monitoring, and evaluation, with the development of a user-friendly platform to track the programme’s progress.
“To participate in the PFJ 2.0 programme, farmers or producers must meet specific requirements including having access to land or a farm, capturing their profile at the district level, providing farm or land coordinates, being a Ghanaian citizen with a valid Ghana Card, engaging in farming on prioritised commodity crops, and being a legally registered company or institution,” the minister announced.
“Farmer registration for PFJ 2.0 will be conducted across all sixteen regions and 261 districts in Ghana. To facilitate this process, a mobile and web application platform, the Ghana Agriculture and Agribusiness Platform (GhAAP), has been developed. Additionally, Agricultural Extension Agents (AEAs) and other technical officers have been trained on how to use the platform and provided with tablets for data capturing,” he added.
On the expected impact of the programme, Mr. Acheampong emphasised that the PFJ 2.0 programme is a “carefully thought-through” initiative, designed to build on the successes of the first phase of the programme while addressing its limitations in the second phase.
The ministry, he added, is committed to ensuring the successful implementation of this “transformative approach to empower our farmers, enhance productivity, and foster sustainable agricultural development in Ghana”.
BY Nii Adjei Mensahfio