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“The Planting for Food and Jobs phase II has made significant strides in boosting agricultural productivity and food security in Ghana,” said the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr Bryan Acheampong.
“We are committed to continuing to support farmers through our projects and other initiatives to ensure that Ghana becomes self-sufficient in food production.”
Speaking at a Missions Exit Meeting with the African Development Bank officials, the Food and Agriculture Minister indicated that, significant strides had been made in boosting agricultural productivity and food security in Ghana through the Planting for Food and Jobs phase II, with the implementation of the Savannah Investment Programme (SIP), and the Savannah Agriculture Value Chain Development Project (SADEP) in the Northern Savannah Ecological Zone.
On assumption of office, Dr Bryan Acheampong has worked tirelessly to streamline and harmonise various initiatives, ensuring that they converged towards a unified goal.
Having assessed the ongoing projects to identify the current status and areas for improvement, he took steps to ensure that projects under the sector, including SAPIP, SIP, and SADEP, were aligned with the overall objectives of the agricultural sector and were executed through the Planting for Food and Jobs Phase II (PFJ 2.0) initiative.
The projects, funded by the African Development Bank, aimed to promote commercial production of maize, rice, soybean, and poultry, as well as improve food security in the country.
Since the inception, the projects have recorded impressive achievements, including a significant increase in the total land area under cultivation from 80 hectares in 2018 to 38,230 hectares adopting the use of improved seed and conservation agriculture practices.
According to Dr Acheampong, the projects had supported 454 medium to large-scale commercial farmers, with last year’s farming season which led to support for 78,351 out-growers to cultivate maize, soybean, and rice under conservation agriculture practices.
The projects have also recorded impressive yields, of 146,205 metric tonnes of maize, 38,913 metric tonnes of rice, and 13,860 metric tonnes of soybean harvested from farmers’ fields.
He explained that the scope of the projects supported farmers through market facilitation, allowing them to sell their harvested grains to off-takers including Ghana Nuts Company, Rockland Feeds, Starpro, VADD Ltd, and other private agro-industries.
The projects, he said had also helped farmers access affordable and timely inputs, including seeds, fertiliser, and agrochemicals and encouraged female participation in commercial farming, with 45 female farmers owning an average of 500 hectares of land.
“This is a significant achievement, as women’s access to land can be challenging without project support,” he said.
The government’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for the livestock industry, he said had resulted in the project also supporting the breeding and rearing of small ruminants (goats and sheep) and poultry birds.
According to him, a total of 13,000 small ruminants had been distributed to 664 outbreeders in 10 municipalities and 50 livestock breeding stations across the country.
Dr Brian Acheampong said, additionally, the projects had provided support to women and youth for egg production, with a total of 1,000 beneficiaries receiving packages including battery cages, pullets, feed, vaccines, and medication.
The Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) programme is an integral part of the African Development Bank’s Feed Africa Strategy 2016-2025.
The programme targets to raise agricultural productivity in Africa by harnessing proven technologies and increasing food output by 100 million tonnes by 2025.
With the support of the African Development Bank and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, these projects are poised to continue making a positive impact on Ghana’s agricultural sector in the Savannah zone, he noted.
By Times Reporter
