Minister for Agriculture, Dr. Akoto Afriyie has said the massive investments made by the Akufo-Addo government since 2017 in the various subsectors of agriculture have resulted in impressive posting by the sector in 2021.
These impacts, he said, are visible in the food crops subsector where farmers continue to benefit from subsidized inputs programme and millions of seedlings as part of the government diversification agenda.
Speaking to the media in Parliament on Wednesday, November 30 on the impending 38th edition of the National Farmers’ Day set for Friday 2nd December at the Jubilee Park in Koforidua, he indicated the strong growth in recent years has increased the share of agriculture sector in Ghana’s GDP from 18% in 2016 to 22% by 2021.
He argued these impressive results were posted by the sector against all odds when multiple external shocks and infavourable external global conditions had impacted virtually every economy including Ghana.
The Minister indicated that the theme for this year’s Farmers’ Day ‘Accelerating Agricultural Development through Value Addition’ highlights the government’s recognition and commitment to the sustainable development and transformation of Ghana’s agriculture and also signifies the government’s appreciation of the need to fully harness the potential of the sector.
Earlier in a statement on the floor of the House, Dr. Owusu Afriyie averred that the strategic intervention and the success of the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFI) campaign, speaks clearly to government’s relentless efforts of systematically addressing the long-standing problems of Ghana’s agriculture.”
Government, he said, recognizes the sacrifices and tireless efforts of Ghanaian farmers as the panacea for the impressive performance of the agricultural sector and argued the least government can do is to continue to celebrate and reward farmers with rising farm productivity and incomes
He urged members of the House to be visible and prominent in the celebration by actively participating and appreciating the efforts of Ghanaian farmers.
“This is essential given our shared and collective responsibility to develop our country with agriculture as the main driving force.”
“I have no doubt that I can count on your full participation at the 38 National Farmers Day celebration, to ensure a befitting honour of our farmers,” he said.
Contributing to the statement, MP for Asunafo South Eric Opoku indicated farmers deserve to be commended for their effort in feeding the country and contributing to the growth of the economy.
Farmers Day, he said, was instituted not only to celebrate farmers but to also discuss how to upgrade the sector and introduce innovative measures to expand the sector
He called for the diversification of the country’s agriculture sector to ensure it moves away from slash and burn to mechanize and irrigation farming to ensure food security for the state.