Planting for Food and Jobs: 52% of funds allocated disbursed

By
Julius K. Satsi, GNA

Accra, July 19, GNA – The Government has so
far disbursed 52 per cent of funds allocated to its Planting for Food and Job
programme as at the end of first half of the year.

Out of a total GH¢700 million, allocated for
the implementation of the programme, the government has disbursed
GH¢365.60million to fund various components of the programme to ensure its
success.

Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, the Minister for Finance,
said this when he presented the 2018 mid-year fiscal policy review to Members
of Parliament on Thursday.

The Finance Minister noted that, a range of
crops was added to those cultivated in 2017 during the 2018 cropping season.

“Groundnut has been added to the legumes
category while cabbage, cucumber, lettuce and carrot have been added to the
vegetable category, he said.

He added that, “Roots and tubers have also
been added as a fourth category to benefit from the programme. Cereals remain
rice, maize and sorghum.”

He said government was implementing a myriad
of growth-enhancing, job-creating and social intervention programmes to better
the lives of Ghanaians as well as achieve relevant Sustainable Development
Goals.

Mr Ofori-Atta said a total of 6,000 metric
tonnes (mt) of improved seeds 70 percent of target of maize, rice, soya bean,
sorghum, groundnut and vegetables have been distributed across the country.

He indicated that in addition to the above,
120,000 bundles of cassava sticks were distributed mainly in cassava growing
areas to facilitate the planting of more cassava for food and jobs in the
community and the country as a whole.

The sector Minister said fertilizer companies
had been engaged for the supply and distribution of 270,000mt of both organic
and inorganic fertilizer at 50 percent subsidised prices.

He said as at the end of June, this year, a
total of 124,000mt of fertilizers were supplied to farmers.

He said the biometric registration to bring
farmers registered under the programme to 500,000 from the initial 201,000
registered in 2017, was currently ongoing in the country.

Mr Ofori-Atta said the evaluation of bids have
been completed for the construction of 30 new warehouses to be equipped with
seed cleaners, dryers and weighing scales in strategic Districts in the
Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Volta, Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions.

He added that the programme was given a
further boost with the distribution of 216 pickups and 3,000 motorcycles and
protective clothing to the District Agricultural Departments and Agricultural
Extension Agents across the country.

He said Cabinet has also granted approval to
the recruitment of 2,700 Agricultural Extension Agents to augment the depleting
number of Extension Agents in the system.

Meanwhile, touching on the stimulus package
for industries, the sector Minister indicated in the 2018 budget, the Ghana
EXIM Bank was expected to provide an amount of GHc236m to revamp distressed but
commercially viable industries.

He noted that the bank had disbursed US5.1
million dollars to the pharmaceutical and textile industries, adding that, the
Universal Merchant bank had also disbursed GH¢2million to the aluminium
industry.

GNA

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