President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has expressed his profound gratitude to Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto for executing the government’s flagship program, Planting for Food and Jobs (Pf&J) diligently.
According to the President, the Pf&J project was well executed and Ghana’s food security was greatly enhanced while thousands of jobs were created for the teeming unemployed youth.
Besides, the livelihood of smallholder farmers significantly improved under the program, thereby, eradicating hunger and contributing to reduce poverty levels in the country.
President Akufo-Addo made this observation through the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta when he presented the Mid-Year Fiscal Policy (mid-year budget review) on the floor of Parliament on Monday, July 31, 2023.
The Mid-Year Fiscal Policy was presented in accordance with Article 179 of the 1992 Constitution and the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921).
These achievements, according to the President, brought substantial improvements in Ghana’s agricultural sector.
“The Planting for Food and Jobs has resulted in increased food security, employment along agricultural value chains, and accessibility of raw materials for developing industries. The program has directly contributed to increased crop yields for major food staples such as maize, rice, and soya by 135 per cent, 67 per cent and 18 per cent respectively within the period,” Ken Ofori-Atta noted on behalf of President Akufo-Addo.
He added “After a comprehensive review, the Government is finalizing Pf&J Phase II to ensure a more efficient and targeted support for the agricultural sector. The key elements of Phase II are Inputs Credit System, Storage and Distribution Infrastructure, Commodity Trading and Digitized Platform.”