Yaw Frimpong Addo, the Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, has highlighted the need for increased budgetary allocation to the agriculture sector in order to achieve its goals.
Mr. Addo also called for additional donor funding to support the ministry in executing its objectives, emphasizing that there is still much work to be done in the agriculture sector.
He made this statement during a learning event designed to share insights from the implementation of the USAID-AGRA PIATA programme.
“There’s so much to do at the ministry that the budgetary allocations alone cannot let us achieve whatever objectives we set. That is why we continually rely on donor partners such as USAID and AGRA that have consistently funded policy initiatives in Ghana’s agriculture. Agriculture starts from policy formulation and seed production. The private sector which includes donor partners plays a critical role at the core of agriculture hence, my call for more support,” he stated.
Under the Partnership for Inclusive Agriculture Transformation in Africa (PIATA), the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has intensified its efforts to facilitate an inclusive agriculture transformation in Ghana, with funding from USAID, over the past five years.
Juliette Lampoh, who is the Country Manager for AGRA in Ghana, outlined several recommendations aimed at improving the agriculture sector.
“In spite of the successes we have achieved, we have noticed that there are yield gaps. We might have increased yields but we still have most crops doing less than 60% of achievable yields. So, our recommendations include working harder, ensuring that farmers have access to improved quality seeds of diversified varieties, ensuring farmers use the right soil fertility management technologies and ensuring that the private sector is actively participating. Also, we’re working with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to include the private sector in policy formulation so that the farmer, ultimately, will produce more and profitably,” she emphasised.
The key objectives of the USAID-AGRA PIATA program were to enhance farmers’ access to high-quality seeds and fertilizers, improve the conducive environment for private sector involvement in the input system, and reinforce the resilience of smallholder farmers.
