Post harvest losses: Government tackles issue with warehouses

Business News of Friday, 17 August 2018

Source: citibusinessnews.com

2018-08-17

Ministry Warehous1The construction of the warehouses is expected to be completed by end of this year

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture has disclosed to Citi Business News that it has commenced processes for the establishment of fifty warehouses in the country before the end of this year, 2018.

This follows an earlier promise by President Akufo Addo that government will construct a warehouse in every district of the country to ensure the proper storage of surplus food produce from the flagship ‘Planting for Food and Job’ program.

The plan is also to prevent post-harvest losses which has been the bane of agriculture in Ghana.

Speaking to Citi Business News on the matter, the Minister of State in charge of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Nurah Gyiele said work has begun to ensure that there are enough warehouses to store the farm produce.

“After we said we were going to establish a warehouse in each district, we started and cut the sod at Edwira in the Ashanti Region where the first warehouse is being built. After that, what we said was that while they are building the warehouses, we will still be producing because we cannot wait.

“So we have gone round the whole country and mapped out all the government warehouses that have been abandoned and we are renovating all of them”.

He added, “We are also renovating the cocoa sheds and others that are in the Northern region but with regards to the warehouses to be established in each district, the ministry of special initiatives is building some and the ministry of food and agriculture is also building, some for this year alone we have completed the processes for fifty of them to start which they have so it is on course.”

Importance of the project

The warehouse project is a component of the government’s Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP).

Warehouses are to be constructed in the 216 districts to handle produce and store the anticipated surpluses under the government’s Planting for Food and Jobs initiative.

Post-harvest losses

Performing the sod-cutting, which was used to mark this year’s World Food Day, President Akufo-Addo said the construction of the warehouses in all districts would not only minimize post-harvest losses but also improve the marketing of agricultural produce.

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