The Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture in charge of Crops, Hon. Yaw Frimpong Addo, has announced that the Ministry is taking measures to revamp the “Planting for Food and Jobs” initiative.
As part of this initiative, the Ministry is expected to launch an enhanced version of “Planting for Food and Jobs in June, which will use Private Sector Partners, Aggregators and Non-Governmental Organizations to help improve the program’s effectiveness.
He made this known when members of the Agrihouse Team, led by the Executive Director, Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa, paid a courtesy call visit to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
According to Hon. Yaw Frimpong Addo, the enhanced version of the initiative will address current challenges facing the program, such as the inadequate supply of inputs and the lack of access to markets.
He said the private sector and NGO partnerships would provide additional support to farmers in terms of inputs, market linkages, and technical assistance.
In view of this, the Deputy Minister underscored the importance of public-private partnerships, needed to drive agricultural development, because, “government alone cannot do it all,” he stressed.
He urged more private corporations and NGOs to join forces with the government to help improve the lives of smallholder farmers and enhance food security in the country.
“Planting for Food and Jobs” initiative has been a critical part of the government’s efforts to transform the agricultural sector in Ghana. The enhanced version of the program is expected to build on the successes of the previous phases.
With the support of private sector partners and NGOs, the program will help increase agricultural productivity, reduce poverty, and improve food security in the country.
The “Planting for Food and Jobs” initiative, launched by the Government in 2017, aimed to improve agricultural productivity and food security by providing farmers with subsidized inputs such as seeds and fertilizers.
The initiative has been successful in increasing agricultural production and reducing food imports, but there is more room for improvement.
BY:AGRIWATCH REPORTER
