|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) is calling for stronger agricultural policies to reduce the country’s annual $2 billion food import bill. The group believes Ghana has the capacity to produce these food items locally but requires more support in mechanization, year-round farming, and subsidies on agricultural inputs.
Bismark Nortey, Acting Executive Director of PFAG, emphasized the urgent need for policy interventions to boost the sector. “Currently, one of the major causes of high cost of food is the fact that we are spending so much on production,” he said.
He further highlighted the burden of expensive inputs and services, which drive up food prices. “We are spending so much on cost of input and agricultural services. These are because these things are so high. If the government can find a mechanism to either subsidize or reduce the prices of these inputs, then we can produce at low cost and that will translate into high productivity,” he explained.
Nortey also pointed out the lack of mechanized farming in many areas, which forces farmers to rely on traditional tools. “If you go to a lot of farming districts, they have no access to mechanization, so we are still using the hoe and cutlass, which is not helping,” he noted.
He stressed that investing in smallholder farming and agricultural infrastructure would significantly reduce food imports. “If we are able to invest in agriculture—we are able to invest in smallholder farming and infrastructure, I am sure the kind of monies that we spend on importing the food we have the capacity to produce…we are one step away from reducing our dependence on that food import,” he added.
Email Daily Mail GH: stories@dailymailgh.com or
Whatsapp: +233(0)509928122
