Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Minister of Food and Agriculture, has reiterated Government’s efforts in implementing best agricultural practices to transform the sector for rapid economic growth and development.
“As an emerging economy that seeks to accelerate growth and sustainable development, the government would do its possible best to adopt best agricultural practices around the World to complement home-grown solutions for economic transformation,” he said.
Dr. Akoto said this when he met stakeholders in the Agric sector during a day’s tour of the Central Region to officially announce the celebration of this year’s edition of the National Farmers’ Day in the ancient City of Cape Coast.
“This year’s edition, will take place in Cape Coast, the Central Regional capital, and would be hosted jointly by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, and Ghana Cocoa Board,” he noted.
His tour also focused largely on assessing the successes and progress made so far in the first four years of the implementation of the Government’s flagship programme; Planting for Food and Jobs initiatives.
Dr. Akoto revealed that the good performance of the sector was the manifestation of government’s diverse support through the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) programme.
He said the nation could transform its agriculture sector if it was able to link farmers with the required technology and modernize the sector.
Describing the government’s Planting for Food and Jobs programme as “unprecedented” in the country, Dr. Akoto stated that the Ministry was committed to strengthening the programme to enable more farmers to benefit.
He said farmers remained on the priority list in government’s quest to modernize the agriculture sector to grow the economy.
In 2020, nearly a billion cedis was invested in acquiring fertilizers and seeds for smallholder farmers to help increase yields.
Dr. Akoto said that poverty among farmers and members in the Agric sector had reduced drastically due to prudent measures laid down by the Akufo Addo-led government.
The Minister revealed that National Farmers Day was celebrated on the first Friday of December, each year, to recognize the contribution of farmers and fishers to socioeconomic development.
Peter Omega, the Regional Director of MoFA, briefing the Minister on the performances of the Sector in the Region, announced that the Region had benefited from the Planting for Food and Jobs, Planting for Export and Rural Development, and Rearing for Food and Jobs.
Adding that the government’s flagship programs and others had immensely changed the lives and standard of living of people in the Region, especially farmers.
He revealed that the Region had about 2.8 million land areas, equal to about 930,000 hectares of land and over 80 percent of the land was suitable for planting.
Earlier, the Minister, accompanied by Yaw Frimpong Addo, the Deputy Minister of the sector, Omega, and other dignitaries, paid a courtesy call on the Oguaa Traditional Council.
Osabarima Kwesi Atta II, the Omanhen of Oguaa Traditional Area, pledged the unflinching support of Chiefs to the Agric Minister in developing and transforming the lives of people of the country.