He said developing measures to support small holders farmers to
practice modern and commercial farming could make the nation the
bread-basket of the African sub-region.
“For the country to be able to feed her people and liberate
ourselves from abject poverty, small-holder farmers need to put an end
to subsistence farming and embrace modern farming with improved seeds,
irrigation facilities and also have access to ready markets, storage
and enough technology to prevent post harvest loses,” he said.
Mr Ahwoi said this in a speech read on his behalf during a
two-day stakeholder’s review and planning workshop for Breadbasket
development on Thursday in Tamale.
The workshop among other things was aimed at developing terms of
reference for an interim team to facilitate the startup of initiatives
to promote commercial agriculture on a broad scale and is being
supported by DANIDA and USAID.
The Breadbasket strategy in Ghana is a means to accelerate and
increase productivity and food security, ensure focused investments in
high potential areas that are ripe for agricultural development as
well as a way of operationalizing the Medium Term Agriculture Sector
Investment Plan.
It also sought to create an empowered governance body to promote
commercial agriculture that links major public and private sector
actors and traditional authorities in the national effort to overcome
physical and policy constraints to developing competitive value
chains.
Touching on the Breadbasket initiative he said, four areas had
been mapped to implement the bread-basket project in Ghana.
“We have earmarked the Accra Plains and Afram Plains in the
Eastern Region where farmers will be provided with the necessary
support including agro chemicals, farm implements, storage facilities
and certified seeds all in a bid to increase crop yield and reduce
food imports in the country,” he said.
Mr Ahwoi said AGRA’s programme provides support to farmers in
areas such as seedlings, soil health, market viability, supportive
policies and innovative finance. The aim, he said, was to bring change
in the agriculture sector and to complement government’s already
existing programmes.
Mr Andre Bationo, a representative of AGRA, said in Ghana Green
Revolution had implemented projects that aimed at supporting farmers
with inputs and agro chemicals.
He mentioned Ghana Agro-Dealer Development Project, which is
aimed at supporting about 2,200 agro dealers and 150 seed producers to
ensure increase productivity, incomes and well-being of about 850,000
small-holder farmers.
Mr Bationo said the interventions by AGRA particularly to link
farmers to market, would help to remove the frustrations farmers go
through in selling their produce and boost their desire to produce
more to meet the country’s food needs.
Mr Lars Joker, Coordinator of Private Sector Programm at DANIDA,
said his outfit would continue to complement government efforts to
eradicate poverty, employment creation and ensuring food security in
the country.
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