President Nana Akufo-Addo
President Nana Akufo-Addo has outlined the way forward for improving the fortunes of Ghana’s agricultural sector.
The President has also touted his government’s achievements in the agricultural sector.
According to the President, “having achieved increased productivity through PFJ, the emphasis is now on how to improve marketing and processing of food crops to enhance profitability.”
He stated that “Government’s strategic intervention has been to revamp the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) to enhance market access and storage.”
The President made this known in his speech as the Special Guest of Honour at the 36th Farmers’ Day Celebration In Techiman In November 6, 2020.
He stated that “reports of scores of traders from neighboring countries in the ECOWAS Region doing brisk business in grains in the Northern parts of the country are clear indications of the new business opportunities opening up in the country for agriculture.”
He noted that “it is gratifying to report that, in response to Government’s “one-district-one-factory” initiative, 26 new Afro-processing companies, some already completed and currently operational, are springing up in the country, with more in the offing.”
“The emergence of agro-industries in the country is attributable to the strong raw material base established through Government’s interventions in the agricultural sector,” he noted.
According to him, as a result of the resilient nature of Ghanaian agriculture, buoyed on by the fact that the sector has received strong support from government over the last three years and 10 months, “we, in Ghana, faced no shortages in food supply since the outbreak of the virus on our shores in March, and our country has since been able to stand on its own two feet, in spite of the obviously difficult times.”
He recounted that “in the immediate years before my assumption of office the performance of the agricultural sector was nothing short of abysmal, evidenced by growth rates of 0.9% in 2014 and 2.9% in 2016, well below the Africa Union target of 6% for Member states.”
The President said “in order to remedy the situation, the Akufo-Addo Government took the firm decision to embark on a well-thought through Programme for the modernization and transformation of Ghana’s agriculture.”
He stated that “this included: increasing productivity on smallholding farms; enhancing food security; diversifying agricultural export earnings; promoting agro-industrialization and import substitution; and creating jobs for the youth.”
By Melvin Tarlue